


When in Rome

by cats_eye78



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: F/M, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-01
Updated: 2015-01-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 17:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2700512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cats_eye78/pseuds/cats_eye78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Connor doesn't get the summer internship he wanted, his friends take him to Rome to cheer him up. Guess who they meet? Ignores the comics.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

 When in Rome  

Ch. 1    

_Anything in italics is thought_.  

**Anything in bold is Italian as I speak none**.  

Disclaimer:  I own nothing except the characters I have created.                    

 

 

            “Tour the old Roman catacombs for the experience of a lifetime,” a young man with shaggy brown hair read aloud from a flier taped outside the hotel where he and his friends were staying.  “What do you think guys?  …Brad?  Kelly?”              

            Looking over his shoulder at the couple who were still debating what to do that night _not arguing, of course, debating they call it_  he rolled his eyes and counted to ten before shouting, “Hey, Dr. Jeckle, Mrs. Hyde!”             

            “What!”  Was the unison reply as two pairs of brown eyes turned their attention to him.  The young man just pointed at the flier.              

            “Oh, come on Connor, you really don’t expect the ‘experience of a lifetime’ in some moldy old tunnel do you?”  Kelly asks sarcastically.              

            _Well, I have before_ Connor thought but didn’t say, _oh no, can’t tell them that, they don’t know, no, they don’t know and I hope they never will._   Instead he looked to Brad for support and got it.              

            “Come on, Kelly it could be fun, and anyway you did drag us on an all day ‘shopping adventure’ yesterday.  I think you deserve some mold after all the mannequins you put us through.”              

            Kelly glared at Brad darkly so he tried a different tact softening his voice, “Don’t worry baby, I’ll protect you from the mold monster.  I won’t let anything down there get you.  Anyway, catacombs, architecture, get to see how they were designed first hand.  I know you’re more into above ground stuff but hey, a house has a basement right?”  The silly grin on his face and reference to her architecture passion finally broke her foul mood.  He ruffled her short blonde hair as they hugged.  “All right, basements and all that,” she muttered into his chest.  

            Later that night.  

           “The tour starts at an abandoned church?”  Kelly muttered in disbelief.  

           “Well, why else would a guy stand next to a sign stating ‘the catacomb tour starts here’,” Brad snapped back at her.  “And hey, in English and Italian; nice for those of us whose Italian is only so-so.”              

           Connor glared at them for a moment before turning his back on the glaring couple to study the sign guy.  _I feel something is not right about this guy.  Man, I wish I had brought weapons; hell, I wish I could hide a sword in jeans and a tee, damn.  Oh well, it wouldn’t have gotten through customs anyway.  Hell with it, let’s get a closer look,_ **“Hi, are you the catacomb tour guide?”**              

           The man at the sign cracked a wide, friendly smile, “Yup, and I, as a former American, would love to show the ‘wonder under’ Rome to what from your accent sound like a countryman.  My name is Stan, and your names are?”              

_Okay, so far so good; there is some kind of demon in there but usually if they mean you harm they don’t care who you are, here goes nothing._   “Thanks for the English, it’s easier.  I’m Connor and they are Brad and Kelly, if they start bickering just ignore them,” he stage whispered the last part and Stan grinned in response.  Connor didn’t bother to dodge the slap he felt coming that was followed by, “I heard that!”              

            “Kel honey, I think that was Connor’s way of politely telling us to behave.  Okay baby?”               

            “Okay sweetie.”  She pulled him down by his goatee for a kiss, rubbing his shaved head with her other hand.               

            Stan smiled at them and Connor turned away uncomfortable.  _God, why do I get so bugged by pda’s? Probably cause the only woman I’ve ever felt passion for turned out to be an evil higher being and Tracey, well we were always more friends than boyfriend/girlfriend.  Okay, we fooled around some, but never more than like, I don’t know, pg-13 style.  Even before my memories came back I felt like there was something, someone out there, someone else that I should be with.  Hey, stop moping or you’ll get all broody and I so don’t need to go there._              

            “So Stan how much is this tour?”  He asks to break his introspection.              

            “There is no set fee, we run on donations, at the end of the tour you give what you feel it was worth.”              

            “Wow, I bet you get stiffed a lot; I mean people are really cheap,” came a girls voice behind them.  They turned to see three girls walking up to them.              

            “Actually, we never get stiffed; we go all out to make sure the tour is one of a kind.  After all the advertising states the experience of a lifetime, does it not?  Are you ladies here for the tour?”              

_There’s something about the girls, they aren’t demons, but they are something different.  Strange, they feel,,,,,, light, yeah, light, that’s odd._ The thought flashed through Connor’s mind as Stan introduced himself and ask their names.              

            “Vi,” the tall redhead.              

            “Anne,” the short blonde.              

            “Dawn,” Connor hardly heard the others; his attention was so focused on Dawn.  _She has the most beautiful blue eyes and her hair, so few girls have their hair so long and it looks so silky.  That’s weird she feels different than her companions, even lighter, glowing almost, so pure.  Please let her be single and not possessed by something evil, please not evil._

          “Dawn, do you know that guy?  He is making with the really hard staring,” Anne whispered.  “Dawn?”

            _Oh my god.  I feel like a deer caught in headlights, he is so hot.  His eyes are like these bright blue wells I could just fall into and those lip, soo kissable.  Look at him so lean and muscled, I can tell even through his t-shirt he is cut._ She imagined running her hands over his hard chest.  _Wow, down girl, you don’t even know him and here you go all slut-tastic thinking.  What would Buffy do?  Oh, his eyes, they look like they’ve seen a lot, kind of sad._  

           Dawn’s thoughts are interrupted by Anne pinching her arm, “Dawn, pay attention to the guide.”   

           “Okay people, once more, I am Stan.  These three ladies are Vi, Anne, and Dawn; these two gentlemen are Brad and Connor, the lady with them is Kelly.”      

           The two groups waved at each other as their names were said, Dawn and Connor locked eyes for a moment before they both looked away blushing.  Anne looked at Connor suspiciously before staring at Dawn worriedly until Dawn smiled and shrugged at her.    

           “All right, everyone please pay attention, the entrance is inside.  It was discovered a few years ago after the church burned down and part of the basement collapsed.  We have to go down a couple of ladders so if anyone has a problem with climbing this is your stop.  Anyone?”  The group shook their heads.  “Alright, I will go down first so I can turn on the lanterns.  That way you all can see and thereby not fall and sue us,” Stan chuckled at his own joke electing faint laughter from the group.  “Now, wait here until I yell, it’ll just be a minute.”      

            As they waited Anne whispered to Dawn, “What was with the sparkage between you and that Connor guy?”  

            “Sparks, sparks is all you saw?  I felt lightning bolts,” Dawn whispered back.  

            “What!  He didn’t have a letterman jacket on did he?”  Came the  mock-horrified question.    

            “No, god, don’t be stupid I am sooo over the mystical attraction thing.  But, I don’t know there’s something about him; I mean, more than just hey hottie.  Something I like.”  Dawn stated.    

            Connor was listening so hard to the girls that when Brad and Kelly whispered in his ear he almost flailed out at them.  “Did you find something you want man?”  “No way Brad, you know Connor only likes older girls, right?”  Connor could hear the smiles so plainly in their voices that he didn’t bother looking to see them.  

            “I don’t know what you guys are talking about,” said Connor in a pseudo-serious voice, frustrated that he couldn’t hear the girls over his friends.  _Mystical attractions, what was that about?_    

           “Oh please, you all but started drooling when you saw that Dawn girl.  You can’t tell me you don’t know what we’re talking about.”    

            “Kelly honey, he was mocking us he so knows what we mean, right man.”  

            “Okay, okay, yeah I like, I really like, hell I’m going to ask her out after the tour!”  Connor laughed at the choking sound that came from Brad.

            Kelly chuckled, “It’s about time, I mean I was staring to think you were a closet case.  I was even starting to plan a party for when you came out; I guess now I don’t have to, do I buddy?”

            “Quiet.”

           “What, Connor?  I was joking don’t get all-,”

           “I’m not mad, I heard something.”  They all listened a moment then Brad said, “I don’t hear anything man.”

           “I heard something just let me listen,” Connor insisted.  

            “Look, if you’re trying to scare me you can just stop right now!”  Commanded Kelly.  

            “I hear a tapping, I’m not trying to scare anyone,” Connor assured her.  

            “Is it ‘tapping at my chamber door’?” Brad grinned.  

            “Great Connor, get the English major going,” groaned Kelly.  

            “Hey Poe is cool!”    

            “Yeah okay, that’s why he killed himself.”    

            Connor tried to hear the tapping over their squabbles but gave up and just smiled at them.  _Wow, listen to them go, I’m gonna have to give them some alone time after this; they bicker then boink, freaks._ He thought fondly to himself.              

 

 

            “Something I like,” Dawn stated.  

            “Dawn be careful, there is something wrong with him.  Wait, hear me out; he isn’t a vamp so at least you’re not going there again.  But something feels not human about him alright,” Anne warned her.    

            “Oh yeah, every time I’m interested in a guy he just has to be evil.  Riiight.  God, you always do this!”  Dawn mutters.  

            “I always do what?  Lets examine the evidence; vamp boy, demon at the wedding, jacket boy.  To be fair he wasn’t evil, just his jacket, but come on Dawnie that’s some mighty hefty arguments against him.  Hey, maybe he’s a half-breed they sometimes are okay.  Just until we know be careful.  Okay, sis?”  Anne snapped back.    

            “Or maybe you’re just overprotective and still bitter cause of your last fiasco,” Dawn shot back at her.  

            Vi decided to interrupt before they got anymore heated, “Dawn might be right, he doesn’t feel evil.  Anyway, be quiet I think I heard something tapping.”  

            “I don’t hear anything.”    

            “You couldn’t Dawn, just be quiet so we can hear,” Vi said in a conciliatory tone.  

            _This is so not fair, every time I try my relationships all end a screwed up as Buffy’s.  I bet it’s just cause all I’m around are demons and demon fighters.  Oh come on, I don’t stand a chance.  Even the boys at school don’t work cause they all seem so stupid, I mean all this stuff happens around them and they don’t see it.  It’s just like Sunnydale; okay, not as bad as Sunnydale cause no Hellmouth but still-_  

            “Dawn.”  

            “Huh?”   

            “Do you remember any Morse Code?”  Anne asks.  

            “What?”            

            “Morse Code, the tapping.”  

            “Oh, sorry but I don’t, I only glanced at that book when I was helping Andrew organize the libraries.  It’s in the military wing, third case on the left with the other communication volumes.  I’m research girl, not photo memory girl, remember.”  

            “Damn, well I think we need to be extra alert now, because I think I heard an answering tapping.  Got it?”  

            “Got it,” Vi and Dawn affirmed.  

            The sudden flare of light inside the church stopped all conversation.  “Is everyone still up there?  Please sound off.”  

            “Connor here.” “Brad.” “Kelly present.” “Anne reporting.” “Dawn.” “Vi.”  

            “Great, now come inside; you will see a gate, open it and climb down.  Be sure that the last person to come down closes the gate.  We don’t want someone to fall in, now do we?”  

            “No sir, consider it shut,” came Vi’s voice from above.  

            When she got down Vi ask, “Who is this ‘we’?  I mean how many people you got in that head?”    

           “Oh, sorry, the tour group is the ‘we’.  I am just one guide in the company.  Don’t worry, there’s only one person in my head, totally not crazy,” Stan replied laughing.  “But seriously folks, I need you all to stay together and not wander down any side passages, cause I don’t want to lose anyone.  Agreed?”  He waited to continue until everyone had agreed verbally or by nodding, “Alright, here is a lantern for everyone; the batteries should be fresh, so let’s go have fun!”  

            As they walked down the tunnel through various chambers and eternal resting places, Connor found that he couldn’t concentrate on the babbling guide and only half noticed his surroundings.  His attention was riveted on Dawn.  _I love how she moves, the confidence of a woman combined with the carefree charm of a child.  Her eyes, they sparkle as she looks around and when she smiles, she glows.  Please God, let her not be possessed.  Okay wow, when you work up the nerve to ask her out don’t be a dork, don’t drool, and don’t scare her off._

_Wow, he is so staring at me!  Please don’t be evil, he is so cute.  But they are right there is something about him, how he moves, it reminds me of someone……  It’s like he’s super alert or something.  Please, please don’t be evil.  Okay when this is over I’ve got to talk to him, but what to say?  ‘Hi I’m Dawn and if you’re evil my sister Buffy will have to kill you; so let’s go for coffee.’  Yeah right, he would think I’m a spaz and an insane spaz at that.  Arrgg._

            Dawn and Connor were concentrating so hard on each other that when the group stopped at Stan’s instruction they both ran into Kelly.  “Will you wake up Connor, she isn’t that hot,” the last part was a hissed whisper.  

            “Where is Vi, the girl with red hair?  Where is she?”  Stan ask, worry written in his expression and voice.            

            “Here I am, sorry I had to get a rock out of my shoe,” Vi tells them as she runs to catch back up.  

            “For the love of God don’t do that!  If anyone needs to stop, for whatever reason, tell me and we will all stop.  Man, you really scared me,” Stan berated her.               “Okay, okay I’m sorry, promise not to again, okay,” Vi reassured him.  

            “It’s okay I just don’t want to lose anyone.  Anyway, I stopped everyone not just to find you, but also because I need everyone when I say ‘now’ to turn off their lanterns and take hands.  I’ll take Vi’s, Vi take Anne’s, Anne Dawn’s, Dawn Connor’s, Connor Brad’s, and Brad Kelly’s.  I will then lead you into this last cavern in darkness so that when I hit the lights the impact of the sights in this particular cavern will be heightened.  To be materialistic, we have found that donations have gone up since we stared doing this.  Neat huh?  Is everyone ready?  Ready NOW.”  

            At his command they took hands and turned off their lights plunging them into darkness.  Walking in the black Connor rubbed his thumb over the back of Dawn’s hand, she flushed and squeezed his hand back causing a silly grin to appear on his face; each were glad the other couldn’t see their reactions.               “Guys we are stopping now, Vi I’m letting go to get the lights.  Nobody move until the lights come up,” Stan’s voice came out of the dark.  

            Connor felt the presence of demons a second before Kelly screamed and he was thrown into a wall; he was midair when Brad’s shout for Kelly was cut off.  _Damn, if I’d been a regular human I’d be unconscious if not dead.  Do I still have my lantern?  Yes, good I can see to fight._   As he turned on his light the girls did the same and left Dawn protecting the light while the other two started fighting the vampires that had surrounded the tour group in the dark.  _Where did Vi get that sword and how are they able to fight like that?  Dawn is the most ‘normal’ fighter of the group, she is good for a regular human but the other two are moving in a way no normal person could they are too fast, too strong.  Never mind, focus, Kelly and Brad where are they?_   Frantically he scanned the room and finally after what seemed an age he spotted them being fed on.  With a roar he launched himself across the room throwing vamps out of his way.

             “Connor, catch!”   Dawn shouted and threw him a stake.  He caught it and several vampires exploded into dust in the blink of an eye.  The vampire who had Kelly saw him coming and ran, taking her with him; the one on Brad foolishly stayed to fight.  Even before its dust had settled Connor was dragging an unconscious Brad over to Dawn.  

            “Keep him safe for me, even if I don’t come back, keep him safe,” he begged her.

            “Safe, got it,” she assured him and raised a lighter and an aerosol can to dust a vamp that was sneaking up on them.  He smiled at her ingenuity as he ran after the vamp that had Kelly.

            As Kelly screamed and Connor was torn away from her Dawn dropped to the ground, feeling an arm sweep through the air above her head, and turned on her lantern.  

            “Buffy behind you!”  Before the warning was complete the blonde had dusted the vamp.

            Vi already had her sword out and beheaded two vampires as she tossed Dawn her lantern.  Dawn lit it and took Buffy’s light as Buffy told her to keep them safe and lit.  Dawn nodded taking a stake, lighter, and hairspray from her bag.  Buffy rolled her eyes and joined Vi in the fray, with a stake in each hand she parried and staked in one fluid motion.  Dawn backed herself and the lights a few feet so she had a wall at her back and staked the first vamp that noticed her.  Luckily for her they were mostly concentrating on the slayers.  She was surprised to hear the guttural roar that Connor emitted and was even more surprised to see him throwing vampires like rag dolls.  Without even thinking, she yelled and threw him her stake.  As he dragged Brad to her she got out holy water and oil.  She wanted to tell him not to even think about not coming back, but instead reassured him that she would keep Brad safe and flamed a vamp that came at Connor from behind.  As he ran out of her sight she wondered if he even felt the gash that ran along his hairline from forehead to below his ear.  Shrugging she uncorked the holy water and poured it all over Brad so just in case a vamp got passed her he would have some extra protection.  Then she made shallow ditches on either side of them and poured some oil in and lit it.  She smirked at a couple of vampires that recoiled from her walls of flame and when they came at her again she hairsprayed them.

            “Hey I found a breaker or something!”  

            “See what it turns on.”  

            When Vi hit the switch the cavern flooded with light.  _Thank goodness we already had some light or we would be so blind now_ Dawn thought.  

            Buffy and Vi dispatched the last few vampires they found hiding near a cage holding, shockingly enough, some still living people.  After they were tested with holy water Buffy let them out and checked them for injuries.  

            “They seem to be alright, a little shaken but unhurt, so we’ll take them to that safe house Giles set up and we’ll see how good these New Council Councilors are,” Buffy said as she led the prisoners away from the cages.  “And hey, it looks like your hairspray idea worked, I stand corrected.  Just remember if the vamp is old it won’t work.”  

            “That’s great, but Buffy, Connor ran after a vamp and he isn’t back yet,” Dawn told her worriedly.  

            “Which way did he go?”  Dawn pointed, “I’ll find him.”  Buffy ran down the tunnel Connor had taken earlier.  

            Connor ran round a blind corner smack into vamp-Stan, it smiled, “Experience of a lifetime, huh kid?”  and hit Connor.  Connor unleashed a whirlwind rage and Stan was a broken, bloody pulp at his feet before Connor staked him.  Pickling back up the lantern he didn’t remember bringing with him much less dropping, he searched for Kelly and when he found her sprawled on the ground like a broken doll his anger drained out of him as his knees collapsed and he dropped to the ground, staring at her corpse.  

            Buffy found Connor still collapsed in a heap next to Kelly’s body.  When she touched his shoulder he leapt up with a snarl shoving her away, “You knew didn’t you!?  You had stakes, you knew!  Why didn’t you warn us!  Why-,” his tirade was ended when she backhanded him.  

            “Look, I know you’re upset, but this won’t bring her back.  And just what the hell were we supposed to say, ‘Hey we’re here to kill you nasty vampires, so why don’t you let these nice people leave and then lead us to your nest’,” she shot back at him.  

            “He just seemed so, so nice.  If I hadn’t trusted him, but I thought he might be a blender; you know a harmless demon type that just wants to live and let live,” Connor choked as he fought tears.  

            “Wait a minute, you felt his demon?”  Buffy was startled.  

            “It’s a long story.  Don’t worry, I’m not a demon.”  

            “Well then you can explain later, so you only have to do it once.  But now we have to get out of here; your friend needs a doctor, like now.”   They left the tunnels, Buffy carrying Kelly, Connor carrying Brad; Vi led the freed people to the cars that the safe house sent to take them to said safe house while the rest waited at Buffy’s car for the ambulance.  The story they told was that Connor’s group had been attacked by muggers; Buffy and Dawn saw, drove up and scared away the attackers.  They emptied Connor and Brad’s wallets of money before the police and paramedics arrived to lend veracity to their claims.  

            At the hospital Brad woke briefly and muttered something about Kelly taking the covers.  The girls were hailed as good Samaritans and heroes by the police, but they deflected the praise and said that if they were really that good they would have been able to save Kelly.  The cops nodded in understanding and left off the praise after that.  When the doctor was done with Connor and told him he couldn’t stay with Brad, Dawn convinced him to go home with them.    

            Andrew opened the door in his robe, “Oh, company.  Star Wars anyone?”  

           “Andrew, I know these DVD’s don’t come out until September, how did you get them so early?” inquired Buffy with a smile.  

           “Uhm, I know not to abuse the connections I have as a Council member, but I mean, Star Wars!” he squirmed under her gaze.  

           “Alright, you slide this time, but as your punishment you have to give up your room.  Connor is going to stay with us a while.”  

           “Sure the TV is bigger out here anyway,” he chirped and then turned serious, “Is he trouble or in trouble?”  

           “I’m not evil if that’s what you mean,” Connor growled at him.  

           “Yeah okay, and the menace in your tone is really reassuring,” Andrew looked at Buffy and Dawn for help as he edged away from Connor.  

           Dawn touched his arm causing him to look at her, “Connor, we want to help you, alright.  Andrew just has a tendency to say whatever he’s thinking.  Okay?” she said while rubbing his arm hoping to calm him.  

            “Okay, you want to help then tell me what your real names are?  Anne isn’t the name she gave the cops so somehow I don’t think you’ve been entirely truthful,” he pulled his arm away from Dawn not wanting to be comforted.  He wanted to be angry.  

            “Okay, in brief, Dawn and Vi are really Dawn and Vi.  I am Buffy Anne Summers who until recently was The Vampire Slayer, but am now just one among many; Vi is one of the Slayers, Dawn is not.  She is my sister and Andrew here is training to be a Watcher, a Watcher helps slayers train and research.  Now, who are you that you can sense demons?”  

            “Buffy, you’re Buffy?!?  THE BUFFY!?!  Ha ha haaaaaaa!”  He started laughing hysterically.  

            “Um, maybe you should slap him,” Andrew suggested after a few minutes of cackling.  

            “Somehow I’m thinking violence, not the best choice, let me try something else.  Connor, Connor, come back to us.  Come back to me, Connor, Connor,” Dawn turned his face to look at her.  Her tactic worked and he calmed a little, well calm enough to start babbling.  

            “You’re Dawn she’s Buffy and I’m the bastard son of two vampires, namely Angel and Darla only thing is I got raised in a hell dimension by Angel’s sworn enemy who lied to me all my life until I came back here and then I was lied to some more by someone I thought loved me and then when Angel got Wolfram and Hart he had this kind of mind wipe done to me and I got these new memories put in my head so I thought I was normal and had a normal life only that was a lie to thing is I’m not normal and my real memories came back and they are in with the fake ones and NOW I’m sitting here talking to my real dad’s ex-girlfriend and one of my best friends is dead!!!”  His tirade stopped when he wound down enough to notice everyone staring at him open mouth, stunned.  “What you ask.  You wanted to know what I am.  I’m a freak, my parents, my real parents are vampires and I’m human, only kind of different.  I remember being normal, I remember a normal childhood, my parents, my sister, and I remember what really happened.  I don’t know if my family remembers now that I’m not really theirs, they still act the same, but how long until they throw me out of their life and I’m alone again.”  

            “I don’t think they will,” Dawn whispered.  

            “What do you know?”  He demanded.  

            “About four years ago some monks took this world destroying, dimension opening; ball of energy called The Key and turned it into me.  Then this hell-bitch came after me and Buffy and our mom stood by me even after they knew the truth.  Buffy even died to save me.”  

            “You died?”  

            “Willow brought me back.”  

            “Willow, red hair, got back Angel’s soul?”  

            “That would be her,” Buffy smiled.  “But when did you happen?  Wow, did that ever come out wrong, but you know what I meant.”  

            “Yeah I know, well, I happened about three years ago.  Darla was pregnant with me by Angel and she staked herself so I could live and Holtz, this man whose family had been killed by them back when Angel was evil over a hundred years ago, was brought to the present, three years ago, by this demon that I was foretold to kill, anyway, Holtz kidnapped me, baby me, and we lived in a demon dimension for about sixteen years only it was only a couple of weeks here.  I made it back here and he followed me and framed Angel for killing him and I sank Angel in a coffin in the ocean.  Wes fished him out and eventually things were okay until everything went nuts with the whole Jasmine thing and when that ended I was going to kill myself until Angel had the memory wipe done.  But then the spell got sort of broken and here we are.”  

           “Sort of broken?  How do you sort of break a spell?  Usually they either break or they don’t,” Dawn wanted to know.  

            “Well, I still have the fake memories but they seem just as real as the real ones.  They let me live normal, even though I know what’s out there.  So I try to focus on those memories and live as normal as I can while still watching out for the people I love,” his face fell at the self-reminder of Kelly’s death.   “Well, that’s how we try to live, cause most people happily have no idea what is really going on.  We fight evil, save the day, and then go to the mall.”  Dawn said, in her best valley girl voice, trying to lighten the mood.  

            Connor smiled weakly, “That’s what we were here to do, have fun.  We live together at school and when I didn’t get this internship I wanted we all blew off summer classes and came here.  We’ve only been here a couple of weeks and Kelly’s dead and Brad might still die.  She was going to be an architect, she always joked about designing a house for the three of us.  She said she would integrate a cornucopia of styles to make our home a one of a kind.  Cornucopia, that’s one of Brad’s words, he’s and English major; he loves it when she used his words and now she never will again and it’s my fault.”  

            “No, it’s the fault of those vampires; I mean if you hadn’t been there we might not have made it out, there were more vamps than we anticipated,” Buffy told him.  

            “Look it’s been a long night, let’s try to sleep, it’ll be better tomorrow,” Dawn gently led him to Andrew’s bedroom.  When he lay down she went to her room.  

            Dawn woke hearing Connor thrashing and moaning in the next room.  As quietly as she could she crept into his room.  He was tangled in the blankets and crying in his sleep.  When she couldn’t wake him she carefully climbed in bed with him and held him, rocking him until his fitful thrashing stopped, running her fingers through his hair until they both fell into a restful sleep.  

            He was trapped in nightmares; he saw his family, all his friends, dead and they screamed at him, why, why did he let them die.  He cried telling them he tried so hard, please, please forgive me, I tried.  They ignored his cries, hurling venom and hate at him.  In the midst of the pain a soft light crept in, pushing the dead away, quieting them; they faded away and peaceful dreamless sleep overcame him.  


	2. Chapter 2

                                                            When In Rome.  

Ch.  2  

_Italic is thought_.  

**Bold is Italian as I speak none**.  

Disclaimer:  I own nothing except the characters I have created.    

 

              She woke the next afternoon to the unaccustomed weight of someone on top of her.  She froze in panic momentarily forgetting the previous night.  Relaxing, she let herself enjoy the feeling of his body next to hers and absently ran her fingers through his hair.  _I wonder if this is how mom felt when I slept with her after a nightmare.  He’s sleeping just like I used to; head on her belly, my arms wrapped around her waist, safe and knowing nothing could hurt me while she held me.  I hope I’m giving him a little of that peace._

            Connor woke to the feel of a warm body next to his and fingers being ran through his hair.  _What the?  Oh God, last night was real._  

            “Connor, you awake?”  

            “How did you know?”  

            “You tensed up.  How do you feel today?”  

            “I don’t know yet.  Why are you here?”  _I don’t remember her coming in here._

            “You were, um, crying in your sleep and I tried to wake you.  When you wouldn’t wake I came and held you, it always helped me be calm enough to, well you know, sleep peacefully.  Don’t worry we all have nightmares,” she informed him as calmly as she could.    

           “Oh, yeah, okay.  Sorry I woke you up last night,” his mind shied away from why he had cried.  He tried to get up only to realize his fingers were wrapped up in her hair.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pull your hair.”    

           “It’s okay, it didn’t hurt and I was kind of playing with your hair too.  Anyway having your hair pulled is a hazard of having long hair.  Are you hungry?”  

            “What?”    

           “Hungry, food, I’m starving.”    

           “Yeah, I could eat.”    

           “Well, there isn’t anything in the apartment to eat, but there’s and IHOP down the block.  Let’s get dressed and then we can go grab breakfast,” Dawn told him.              

           “Alright, lead the way.  Although the pajamas are cute enough for day wear, just so you know,” he smiled weakly as they untangled themselves and she went back to her room.  

           _Well that was totally awkward, cute pajamas, whatever.  Oh well, nervous humor, at least Buffy isn’t up yet; that was one wake up I so don’t want to have to explain.  There was no way that would have gone well.  Now what to wear?  Hmmm, I want to look hot, but with what he’s been through the last thing he needs is me throwing my suddenly slutty feeling self at him.  Better go casual, yes, casual, C-A-S-U-A-L.  I hope he will be up to small talk, but hey, if he’s not it’s cool; I can babble like a complete dork and completely turn him off.  Arrgg._  

            “Where are you going?” Buffy ask from her doorway as Dawn reemerged from hers.  

            “Oh, um, I’m taking Connor to get breakfast, visit Brad and maybe get their stuff from the hotel.  Maybe Brad can leave, not likely I know, but I’ll check.”  

            “Good, I’m gonna check on last nights survivors.”  

            “Okay,” Dawn said over her shoulder as she walked back into Connor’s room.    

            The smile faded from his face as she walked out the door, _what am I doing joking about pj’s.  Kelly’s dead and Brad was hooked up to all kinds of IV’s and wires when we had to leave him last night.  The doctor wouldn’t even say if he would pull through, he lost so much blood, and that intern was surprised he even made it to the hospital.  That intern gave me the shirt out of his locker to, oh I don’t know; make up for saying that in front of me.  The cops had taken mine as evidence or something.  That doctor’s face was actually funny when I tried to tell him I wasn’t hurt, I guess I hadn’t noticed that scalp cut.  Oh well, it helped our story.  Thank God Dawn and Buffy were there.  Buffy took care of the paperwork and police.  Dawn stayed with me every second she was allowed to stay.  I don’t think I would have stayed as relatively calm as I did without her._ He was so engrossed in his thoughts he didn’t notice she was back in the room until she touched his hair.  

            “Still hungry or would you rather talk about stuff first?”  She gently asks.  

            “Talk about what?  How am I gonna tell Brad that she’s dead?  That is, of course, if he lives himself!”  She winced at the venom in his voice and he immediately felt guilty for attacking her.  He knew she just wanted to help.  “I’m sorry Dawn, let’s eat and see Brad, then I’ll talk.  I promise to try not to bite your head off again.”  

            “Deal,” she offered him her hand and he took it, getting out of bed.  

            They walked out of the apartment complex door and Dawn pointed down the street, “See, nummy goodness.”    

            He smiled, “I take it you eat there often.”  

            “Yeah, Tara got me used to pancakes for breakfast, but the restaurant won’t make funny shapes,” her smile faltered when she said the last part.    

            “Tara?”    

           “Tara was Willow’s girlfriend, Willow and Tara moved in after Mom and Buffy died.”  

            “After Buffy what?!”  Connor interrupted.    

            “She died, we told you last night, a hell god wanted to kill me, but Buffy died to save me.  Remember?”  

            “Oh yeah, sorry, I kind of forgot.”  

            “Well, Tara was like the mom of the group; she made sure breakfast was ready and I had a lunch for school.  She made my pancakes funny shaped if I wanted.  Tara was so kind and understanding, you could tell her anything and she wouldn’t judge.  Even when her and Willow broke-up she was still there for everyone.”  

            “She sounds amazing.  So, um,, what happened to her?”  He knew from her tone and use of past tense that Tara had to be dead.  

            “She died.  She was shot by Warren when he tried to kill Buffy; he missed and shot her by accident.  She and Willow had just made up too.  When she died Willow went crazy.  She was so grief-stricken that she tried to end the world.”  

            “Wow.  I, ahem, wow.”   

            “Yeah.  After that magic was a part of Willow, she can’t turn it off, but thankfully she has worked through the bad and is in a good place magically.”    

           “Well, now that we’re here, are you gonna have pancakes?”  Connor smiled as he held the door for her.  

            She winked, “Of course, silly.”    

 

            A huge stack of pancakes later.  

            “Okay, I know weight is one of those places not to go, but damn, how do you eat like that and stay so little?”  He asks incredulously.    

           Dawn grinned wickedly, “Rona used to complain that I got the slayer metabolism without the life or death calling.”  

           “But you fight anyway, no calling involved,” Connor pointed out.    

           “Well, I didn’t want to be all helpless; so I made Buffy start training me and now I train with the new slayers.  I’m definitely no slayer, but I like to think I’m not to shabby.”  

            “For not being a slayer you’re amazing and smart about it too.  I never thought of using hairspray, of all things, to fight vampires,” he rushed to assure her.  

            She preening a little under his praise, “Buffy thought it was dumb just cause it didn’t work the one time she fought a really old vamp, but now she admits that it works on the newer ones and even though it didn’t toast the old vamp it at least distracted it.  I prefer a little distance between me and them cause I kind of lack the super strength to fight them, hand to hand.  I usually carry a crossbow, but I couldn’t hide it in my purse.”

            “Speaking of, where did Vi pull that sword from?”  

            “She carries it in a back sheath; the hilt is actually at her lower back, she finds it easier to draw that way.  The clasp holding the sword in place requires slayer strength to open so there are no worries about it just, you know, accidentally falling out,” Dawn was proud of their little trick.  

            He was impressed himself, “Cool, I’ve got to get me one of those.”  

            “Aww, are you jealous of our toys?”  

            “Hell yes, men love toys,” he grinned at her and they dissolved into giggles.

            The waitress interrupted their laughter asking if they needed anything more; they ask for the check and Connor got out his wallet only to find it empty.  Dawn whispered to him, “Mugged remember?” and paid the bill.  

            As he held open the door he muttered, “Yeah mugged, I remember.”    

           Once they where safely outside, “Let’s go see Brad, hopefully he won’t have tried to tell the docs about the vamps.”  

            “Yeah, that would be a bad, they have committed people who have tried to tell that kind of stuff before.  That’s why we had the cage people taken to a safe house.  They can recover a little before going back out into the world.  But hey, first we need to go back for your money; sorry I forgot about it.”  

            “It’s alright and I’ll buy lunch.”  He winked at her and she grinned back.  

            In the cab ride to the hospital Connor had Dawn tell him about how there got to be more than the two slayers he knew of.  He was amazed at all she and her friends managed to do and told her so.  But the questions he had about Spike’s death were driven out of his head by their arrival at the hospital.  Once inside the hospital, they encountered difficulty in the form of a Barbie fake smiling, recalcitrant, I only let blood relatives in, nurse.  

            “ **We are the closest thing to family he has on this continent** ,” Connor snapped at the woman.  _I hate that fake smile, he thought as they told her that for what felt like the thousandth time._

            The plastic Barbie expression never faltered, “ **Young man there is no need for a snippy attitude, and we can’t have just anyone in a patient’s room.** ”  

            Dawn broke in, in an attempt to salvage the situation before Connor throttled the much deserving woman, “ **Look ma’am Brad is his best friend; they and Brad’s girlfriend were attacked last night and she didn’t make it.  We just want to make sure he isn’t going to lose another friend.  Alright?”**  

            Finally the plastic expression cracked, **“Oh, I didn’t realize, but earlier there was a girl, she said she was his sister.  I thought, I mean, she said not to let him be bothered**.”

            “ **That was probably my sister.  Was she short with blonde hair?  She is worried about him too.** ”  

            The Barbie face snapped back into place, “ **Okay, that was her.  I guess you can go in.  She missed him waking up, but he is awake now, a little incoherent, so be warned.”**   Finally, she pressed the button that allowed then into the ward Brad was in.  

            As they walked in Dawn whispered, “I soo didn’t like her.”  

            “Yeah.  Barbie on parade, but at least we know he’s conscious.”    

            “The incoherent thing might have been him talking about what really happened, we might have caught a break on that one,” Dawn tried to reassure him, doubting it did any good.    

            “Well, I won’t know until I get up the balls to go in.” 

            “Okay, then we’ll share a pair and go in together,” she said thinking of how often everyone back home had lightened a bad situation with bad humor.  He smiled, took her hand, and started towards the door.  _Congrats Dawn, it worked again._  

            Pushing open the door they saw Brad lying in bed staring blankly at the ceiling hooked to IV’s and monitors.  “Brad,” Connor choked out frozen in the doorway.   

            Slowly Brad’s head turned to them, recognition spread across his face with a smile, “Connor, how are you man?”

            “Oh God, Brad I’m so sorry I didn’t protect you guys well enough!”  He cried as he ran to his friend’s side, grabbing the hand that wasn’t wired up.  “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to fail you!”  

            “How did you fail me man?  How could you have known they were monsters?  I mean that’s not something they put in the brochure right?”  He beamed at them from the bed.  

            Connor was too stunned for words so Dawn cautiously asks, “Are you okay?  I mean, what did they give you for the pain?”  

            “I don’t know, but it comes with a button and I feel nothing.  How does Kelly like her button?  I bet she’s silly.”  

            Before Connor could reply Dawn jumped in, “She’s fine, we came to see you first, she the next stop on the tour.”  She weakly grinned at the man lying in bed.             

            “Well I’m super.  Go see how my baby is and then let me know, cool buddy.  They won’t tell me anything cause I don’t know her code word.  Wow, I’m sleepy.  Hey, tell her my code word is Kelly so she can’t forget it.  Okay?”

            Dawn reassured him they would tell her as his eyelids drooped shut.  All the while Connor stared at her, his face grim.  

            Once Brad slept, Connor grabbed her arm and dragged her out of the room and down the hall.  She sputtered wanting to know what he was doing, he ignored her.  As soon as he spotted a stairway he shoved her inside, slamming her against the wall. 

             “What the hell was that?!?  Do you think lying to him will make everything right?  Because I know it just makes everything wrong!  Everyone lies, everything is wrong!  I can’t believe you, you lying little--,”

            “SHUT UP!!”  She shrieked in such an earsplitting tone that he was actually deafened for a moment and that moment was all she needed.  

            “Brad is hurt, bad hurt, out of his mind on pain meds, but he asks about Kelly; he even made her his password.  I’ve seen people in his place not think to ask about their own children, THEIR CHILDREN, for God’s sake!  This girl is obviously his whole world; if we tell him she’s dead he might not want to live anymore.  If he is gonna get better he has to have the will to live,” her eyes unfocused as if she wasn’t seeing him anymore.  “I made the mistake once of telling a woman her husband was dead and she gave up; she didn’t want to live, so she didn’t.”  He let her arms go and she looked at him again.  “I will never do that again.  I will wait until they are healed, physically and mentally, so we can remind them their loved ones wound want them to live.  Listen Connor, the lie I’m telling Brad is so not like the lie Holtz told you.  As messed up as it is this will help him, really.  Think about it would you rather he be dead?!?”  She turned and ran down the stairs, leaving him staring dumbly after her.    

           She started shaking when she got in the cab and was barely able to hold in her tears until she was inside the apartment.  She stumbled into her room, her thoughts scattered by his attack.  _Why did he turn on me?  I know I did the right thing, how could he not see that?  Does he really think I’m like Holtz?_ She collapsed on the floor, face vacant silent tears streaming down her face, as she tried to sort out what happened.    

           Buffy heard Dawn come in, “Hey guys, how was your afternoon?  Dawn?”  The cheerful greeting changed to concerned questioning as she saw Dawn, “What happened?  Oh God, is his friend dead?  Dawn, where is Connor?  Dawn?”  Buffy grabbed Dawn to shake her and was shocked when her sister cried out in pain.  “You’re hurt?  How?”  She yanked her sleeves up revealing livid violet hand print bruises circling her upper arms, Buffy’s eyes hardened as she demanded to know what happened and Dawn broke into loud hysterical sobs, “Dawn did Connor do this?”  Buffy’s voice was quiet and cold, promising violence.  

            “He, he didn’t mean to,” Dawn choked out, “He just, just,,,,,, I, I, I, can’t talk about it right now.”  

            “Okay sweetie, we don’t have to talk now, I’ll just go make some cocoa alright.  You’ll calm down and then we’ll fix it, okay?”  Buffy said gently.  Dawn nodded and Buffy squeezed her hand before leaving the room.    

          _Do I want him dead?  How can she think I want my best friend dead?  What was she tal-.  Oh God, what did I do?!?_   He leapt down the center of the stairwell scaring some people entering the stairs.  He ignored their shouts as he sprinted out of the building and into traffic.  He jumped in front of a cab, making the driver slam on the brakes.  Before the driver even had a chance to blink, Connor was in the vehicle telling the man to drive.  The driver scoffed, saying he was off duty and would ‘take your crazy ass nowhere’.  His words were abruptly silenced when Connor grabbed him by the throat, shoved a wad of bills in his mouth and pointed which way he was to drive.  The cabbie decided to err on the side of caution and drove.  Connor realized what he had done and told the cabbie to stop about ten blocks after he saw the apartments.  He then sprinted a couple more blocks the wrong way before super speeding it to the apartment.    

            “Dawn?  Dawn are you here?  He shouted for her as he wrenched the door completely off the frame in his hurry to get to her.  “Dawn I’m sor-.” 

             He was knocked off his feet and back out the door by the hardest punch his face had ever taken.  

            “What the hell did you do to her?!?”  Buffy screamed into his face.  “WHAT!  DID!  YOU!  DO!”  Every word was punctuated be a blow as Buffy held him up by the front of his shirt.  As the blackness took him, he felt his cheekbone shatter under Buffy’s assault.


	3. Chapter 3

            When In Rome    

Ch.  3  

_Italic is thought._  

**Bold is Italian.**  

Disclaimer:  I own nothing except the characters I have created.

              Dawn almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the front door slam open and Connor yell, “Dawn?  Dawn, are you here?”  The worry she heard in his voice gave her the strength to choke back her sobs.  “Dawn I’m so-.”

              “What the hell did you do to her?!”  The sound of him hitting the ground in the outer hallway froze her in the middle of getting off the ground.  Unfreezing, she scrambled frantically across her room; cursing as she fumbled at the doorknob, the sound of Buffy beating him made her clumsy.  After what felt like forever she wrenched open the door, crying out as she saw Connor go limp as Buffy held him up one handed with her other cocked to hit him again.

              “Stop!  Please Buffy, please!”

              Buffy stopped mid-blow, “He hurt you, Dawn.  He hurt you, no one hurts you!”

              “Buffy look at me I’m okay,” at her look Dawn rephrased, “All right not okay, but I’m not really hurt.  I’m wigged, not injured.  I promise.”

              “So what happened?  You were all catatonic and bruised.  So what’s the what?”  She demanded, unceremoniously dropping Connor to the floor.

              Dawn looked from Buffy to Connor, took a couple deep breaths reminding herself to stay calm, “I’m just gonna check to see if you, you know, killed him first okay?”  She ignored her sister’s frown as she knelt by him checking his pulse and breathing, relaxing a little when she found him doing both.  “Okay, let’s see, yeah, everything was fine until we went to see Brad.  He ask about Kelly and I lied telling him she was fine; I mean he was really out of it, loopy on pain meds, and he still ask about her.  You know what would have happened if I’d told him she was dead.”

              “He probably would give up, duh, you did the right thing.  What does that have to do with-?”

              “I know it was right, but I lied and that made Connor completely flip.  He started yelling about his whole life being a lie and how it was wrong to lie, it making everything wrong.”

              “So that makes it alright for him to hurt you?  I think not!”

              “He grabbed my arms is all, and if you’ll remember you’ve hurt me like that before.  Oh, and when I found out about my keyness, I flipped out remember.”

              “Sooo?”

              “So, flipping out is totally normal when a person finds out about a big lie and he has had to deal with lots more big lies than I have.  Obviously, he is really on edge with his life; thinking his family will turn on him and all.  He didn’t know about the people who had given up, we just need to make him understand and he can’t do that if you beat him to death.  Okay?”

              “Okay, I won’t kill him, yet.  But, if explaining doesn’t work or he hurts you again, don’t get in my way.”

              “Buffy, don’t joke about that; we don’t kill people and even if we did I wouldn’t let-”

              “Holy One Ring Batman!  What happened here?  Who is that?  Connor!  Hey, did he turn evil?”  Andrew babbled as he came into view of their tense tableau.

              “He’s not evil!”

              “Arrgg, Dawn he-”

              “I know what he did, but look at what you did!  You almost beat him to death!  You almost killed him, Buffy!”  When Buffy blanched, Dawn knew she had broken through her sister’s rage.  She looked back at Connor and blanched herself at what she saw.  As calmly as she could, she whispered, “Get him back into the apartment.  Andrew, call Willow and tell her we need her and a healer here now!”

              “Willow?  Don’t we usually call Xander to fix windows and doors?”  He grinned weakly at her.

              “The door can wait, damnit, he’s started bleeding out of his fucking eyes, Andrew!!  Buffy help now!”  Her voice got very shrill making her sister rush to very carefully lift Connor out of the hallway as Andrew scurried inside to the phone.

 

 

              Seven minutes later the front door was propped back up and three women materialized in the kitchen.  “Willow!  Here hurry please, he’s here, please help,” Dawn cried.  

              “Ow, headache.  Hey guys, sorry, this is Althanea and her sister Herata, the coven’s best healers,” the two witches immediately laid their hands on Connor and started chanting.  Willow told the others to be quiet and they went to Buffy’s bedroom.  Willow quietly ask what the demon trouble was, obviously thinking a demon had gotten Connor.  But before anyone could answer her the door was opened, “Wow that was super fast, even for you guys!”  Willow chirped.

              “We are not done, we have barely begun.  More power than we have is needed to save this boy.”

              Willow’s face fell, “That teleport really drained me, I don-”

              “Your friends have the power we need, Slayer and Key.  Understand that you will be weakened for a couple of days.  But, if you give us the power we need we can save him.”

              Dawn quickly crossed the room nodding.  As she pleadingly looked at her sister Buffy nodded, “What do we have to do?”

              “Willow will channel your power to us and you,” she pointed at Andrew, “will quietly make the restorative tea instead of Willow.”

              Willow gave Andrew the instructions and sent him to the kitchen.  Then they all knelt on the floor beside Connor where he lay on the sofa.  As instructed, Buffy and Dawn joined hands, Willow took their hands in one of hers, placed the other in Althanea and Herata’s joined hands and they placed their other hands on Connor’s chest.  The healers resumed chanting as power flowed freely through them.  After what seemed like both an eternity and less than a second the connection was broken, exhausted the five women slumped breathing hard.

              “We were able to heal his massive brain damage and partially heal the cheekbone. We had to leave the superficial cuts and bruises alone to concentrate on the life threatening wounds.  He will still have a bad headache and due to the nature of the injuries to his brain he cannot be allowed to open his eyes or try to get up until tomorrow morning.”

              “Thank you sooo much, thank you, thank you if we can ever do anything for you we will do it,” Dawn told them.

              “Andrew is that tea done yet?”  Buffy weakly called.

              “Uhm, coming,” he handed out cups, hovering worriedly.

              “Young man?”

              “Yes, um, ah?”

              “Herata.”

              “I’m Andrew, do you need more tea?”

              “No thank you, could you please call Giles and ask him to arrange a more earthly transport home for my sister and myself?”  She smiled up at him.

              Andrew frowned slightly, “You can’t go back by land.  Your coven is in England, isn’t it?”

              “Oh dear, where are we child?”

              “Okay, don’t turn me into a frog, but you’re in Rome,” he told her.

              “A frog, no I don’t do frogs.  But perhaps he could arrange an airplane instead.”

              “Defiantly, I’ll get right on that,” he hurried to the phone.

              Althanea turned to Willow, “Is he always that nervous?”

              Willow sighed, “He was one of the people I tried to kill when I was evil, he’s been a little nervous around me ever since.  Although he was high-strung even when he was trying to be an evil mastermind.”

              “And what is he now?”

              “Buffy?”

              “He’s our roommate and trainingtobeawatcher,” Buffy looked uncomfortable at the last part and tried to say it as fast as possible.

              Seeing the looks on the witches faces Dawn felt the need to defend him, “He is really good at research and planning, just not the violent stuff and the new slayers like him.  He’s good at bringing them up to speed on what has happened to them without scaring them.  I mean Wil, remember Anya’s talk when we thought I was a potential.  Even if he did have that Lucasville bit, Andrew’s was better.”

              “My what was better?”  He asks as he re-entered the room.

              “Your pep talk when we thought I was chosen.”

              “You liked the Skywalker analogy?”  He looked shocked and pleased.

              “No, actually I liked the other one.  The one after I left the room, you said I was part of a heritage stretching back to Eve.”

              He squirmed with pleasure, “I use one like that a lot; the newbies really seem to like it too.  Even if Xander didn’t like it, I just knew it was right.  It just seemed right with you all being women, only a woman can bring forth life so it makes sense that women protect life,” he beamed as he babbled.

              Althanea smiled at his enthusiasm, “I’m sure you help them through their transition into their lives as Slayers, but did you manage to reach Giles?”

              “Yeah, he’s on the phone now.  He says ‘Hi’ to Buffy and Dawn.  He can line up a flight for you two back to England as early as two hours from now.  Willow, he can get you back to Tibet tomorrow,” he told them as he handed Althanea the phone.

              “Thank you, Giles.  Will everything be in order when we arrive at the airport?  Yes, everything is fine here now.  Yes, good, then we will take the earliest flight.”

              Willow took the phone, “Actually, if it’s all right with Buffy I’m gonna stay here a while,” at Buffy’s smile and nod she continued, “Yes, I’ll hang out here and give everyone hugs for you, bye-bye,” she hung up and gave Andrew back the phone, “He expects a full report from you later, Buffy.”

              “Alright, I’ll just take you ladies to the airport.  See you when I get back,” Herata stopped Buffy as she tried to stand.

              “No, young lady, you are going to continue to sit there with your sister and the young man.  You don’t feel it yet, but you gave a great deal of your personal strength to save him.  Andrew can drive us after he gets pillows and blankets for the four of you.”

              Hearing this he went to the closet and got what was needed and handed it out.

              “Why aren’t you two as tired as we are?”  Dawn ask as she settled into her nest on the floor.

              “We used your power, we directed it, and it didn’t take nearly as much of ours in the process.  Sorry you it had to make you feel so weak.”

              “Hey, no problem, I just wondered,” she assured the healers sleepily.  “He will be all right, right?”

              “Yes child, sleep now,” Dawn smiled at them and as sleep took her she heard Buffy telling Andrew to call a repairman for the door.

 

                _Oh God, my head hurts.  Where am I?  Who is talking?  What are they saying?_

              “Look Andrew, I don’t care how ‘Camp Lucas’ tries to justify putting Hayden Christenson in the end of Jedi; no matter what poop about ‘his soul stopped aging when he went evil’ they try to shovel at us, it was an obvious marketing ploy.  And it sucks!”

              _Andrew, I know that name, who is Andrew?_

              “No, it, I.  Oh heck, you’re right.  Hey, if he ever puts out the real movies, can we kill him?”

              “Hmm, I’m thinking, yes.  Cause, then we can definitely call him an evil demon.”

              _Andrew, Star Wars, Andrew, Dawn!!_

              “Dawn!”  He tried to sit up, the world swimming before his eyes.

              “Whoa there buddy!  You can’t get up yet and close your eyes; you’ll mess them up if you try to use them now.  Dawn is fine; she’s sleeping on the floor next to you.  How is your head?”

              “It feels like it took a battle axe.  Are you sure she’s alright?”

              “Yeah, she’s 100% a-okay, just sleeping.  Don’t open your eyes or sit up you will hurt yourself if you do before tomorrow.  Look, I remember you don’t like magic but-”

              “You remember what!  Who are you?”  He tensed getting ready to try to rise no matter his injury.

              “Willow.  I’m Willow, remember me Connor?  I called you Angel’s ‘handsome but androgynous son’.  Remember?”

              He relaxed at her words, “Willow, hi.  I remember.  Dawn’s really alright, I didn’t hurt her?”

              “Hurt her?  You think you hurt her?  H-how did you hurt her?”  Willow’s voice trembled more with each question.

              “Is that why Buffy went all Fight Club on your face?!”  Andrew exclaimed.

              “Wait, BUFFY did that to him?!?”  Her shriek woke Buffy and Dawn.

              “What did I do?”  Came the groggy question from Buffy.

              “You got left on the doorstep with the other howler monkeys,” Dawn mumbled.

              “Drop the howler monkey crap,” Buffy growled at her sister.

              “Dawn, are you alright?  Willow says I can’t open my eyes.  Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to hurt you, I was wrong to get so mad at you.  I was just upset at seeing Brad like that and everything that happened I completely lost it.  I’m so sorry,” he reached blindly for her.

              “I’m fine; I know you didn’t mean it, not really.  Willow can I open up my eyes?”

              “Oh yes, only Connor can’t look around yet cause of the healing.  Like I was saying, you don’t like magic, but we had to do a pretty major working to heal you. You almost died, the damage was too much for even you accelerated healing to handle.  I thought a demon got a hold of you, but Andrew says it was Buffy and I am in need of some serious explanations.”

              As soon as Dawn heard her say it was okay, she looked up for Connor and grabbed his searching hands, holding them tightly, assuring him she was fine.

              Buffy looked at Willow uncomfortably, “Last night Dawn, Vi, and I went to clean out a vamp nest that was operating an underground tour to get their victims.  Connor and his two friends, Brad and Kelly, were already there when we arrived.  We went on the tour to get to the nest and when we got there we were able to kill all the vampires with Connor’s help, unfortunately Kelly got killed and Brad was badly hurt.  Brad is in the hospital and when Dawn took Connor to see him he ask about Kelly.  Dawn told she was fine and Connor, according to Dawn, just wigged out.  But in the process he hurt her and I came home and found her crying with her arms bruised and all I got out of her was that Connor hadn’t meant to.  So when he came here I wigged and beat him until Dawn made me stop.  I’m sorry I reacted like that, I’m not proud of it, but Dawn was hurt and no one does that.”

              Willow and Andrew stared at her so stunned that for once the rather talkative pair was silent.

              “I deserved it.  I deserved punishment for what I did, I-”

              “No you didn’t.  I almost killed you, you didn’t deserve to die,” Buffy quietly told him.

             “Okay, no one meant to do anything, we get that, but why was it done?”  Andrew wanted to know.

              “I think it was a big misunderstanding, maybe we need to tell each other everything.  I’ll start with our side and then Connor can fill us in with his side,” Dawn reasonably suggested.

              About three hours later Buffy and friends had told each other everything up-to-date, saving the latest relationship skinny for last.  Xander had, once again, captured the interest of a female demon, named Jani.  Everyone had a good laugh at how he had frantically called Willow when she attached herself to him.  Connor had queried if this was a literal attachment and Willow assured him it wasn’t.  She said that, after doing mega research, she had been able to reassure Xander that this demon was the African equivalent of a Grecian Dryad.  She was descended from Edinkira, an African tree goddess, and luckily Jani was only dangerous if her land was threatened.  Xander had inadvertently brought himself to her attention by destroying a demon that, unknown to him, had been threatening her oasis.  Giles was making tentative overtures towards a lady, named Sophia, in the new Watchers Council.  _Funny they don’t even know where their biological father is, but they talk to Giles at least once a week and not just about slayer stuff.  They have the same expression of proud disgust that any of the girls in school have when one of their parents is starting to date.  I guess he is the dad of their hearts, I wish I knew who the dad of my heart was._   Connor thought to himself.   Faith and Robin Wood were still bickering about who was prettier, all the while keeping Chicago safe.  At first Connor was shocked that Faith had settled down with anyone, but Robin surprised her often enough to keep her interest, while still being a stabilizing influence.  Dawn said she thought Faith needed him, cause even though she was in a much better emotional and mental place, she was still reckless, not suicidally so, but still reckless with her own safety when on a mission.  He was someone for her to want to go home to and with, so she was more careful than she would be if he wasn’t there.  However, if she was leading others she was exceptionally cautious of the safety of them; she had learned her lession with the bomb trap.  When Willow admitted that she and Kennedy had grown apart, Buffy couldn’t hide her glee.  Dawn held her tongue, I always thought she was way to pushy, bossy and bitchy for Willow.  She decided to just be happy that Willow had finally realized what we all had already known, rather than practically wax poetically on the topic like Buffy was.  The real kicker was when Willow interrupted Buffy’s litany to ask her if she was still dating the Immortal.

              “The Immortal, please!  That is sooo over,” Buffy rolled her eyes and Dawn laughed.

              “Yeah, he made the mistake of saying that he always could steal Angel and Spike’s women from them, but that Buffy had been an especially easy conquest. When he realized she had overheard his bragging, he went all ‘I love you baby, I didn’t mean it, it was just guy talk’.  She kicked his ass and kicked him to the curb,” Dawn chortled.

              “And the most pathetic part was, on his way out he actually tried to hit one Dawn.  She kicked him in the face,” Buffy beamed proudly at her sister.

 

              Then realizing their part was over, four pairs of eyes turned expectantly to Connor.  He felt their gaze and swallowed nervously, then told them about his magically supplied normal life up until he came in contact with Angel again and the spell broke.  That only took about and hour and a half.  Then over the course of two and a half hours he told them of his ‘real’ life.  It was difficult for him not to lose the thread of his story when they interrupted in shock at the ‘games’ Holtz had played.  When he got to the part with evil Cordy all but Willow were stunned into absolute silence.

              “You mean the Cordy that I saw and talked to wasn’t her?  She was possessed?  How could I not tell?  I mean how did anyone not guess?”

              Connor just shrugged and stated that the being was very powerful, considering it gave birth to itself.  His voice became a study of pain and his eyes squeezed so tightly that it was painful to behold, as he told them about Jasmine and his attempted suicide.  At that point he broke down and sobbed.

              _Oh my god._   Dawn thought as she held him, his body wracked with the pain he only now allowed himself to fully feel.  _I can’t believe he had to live through all that.  That Holtz was some new kind of bastard, he was twisted.  The things he did and claimed to have loved Connor; and Connor, he had to kill his own daughter.  No wonder he has mondo issues._ She stroked his hair and his back as she whispered in his ear that it was alright.  It was over.  Holtz and Jasmine couldn’t hurt him anymore, and that the real Cordy would never have used him like that.  She promised that they would keep him safe, as she held him until he calmed.

              “You know something, I never realized, I just didn’t know.  I didn’t know how life was supposed to be until Angel gave it to me.  He knew he couldn’t help me himself, so he gave me up to let me try to have a normal life.  I know it was the best he could do for me, but I wish he could have somehow kept me.”

              “He never was good at holding on.  He moved away to try to give me THE SLAYER, a chance at a normal life.  Like that would ever happen.   In his defense he did try to help when we went against The First.  Maybe I should have let him wear that amulet, and then WolfRam and Hart never would have gotten their hooks in him as deep as they did.”  At Dawn’s sharp look she realized how her words had sounded. “Oh god Connor, I didn’t mean that I wanted him to have died.  I just didn’t want him to have turned evil.”

              “I know you don’t mean that, but he didn’t turn evil.  He was trying to do good from within, until he realized it was impossible.  Then he decided to take them down with him.  He and the rest of them went on a suicide mission to try to take down WolfRam and Hart.  He knew he wouldn’t survive the fight, but he said as long as I was alright he would be too.  Heck, even Illyria helped in the fight and she was an Old One.  She was a formerly evil ‘power that was’ that had taken over Fred’s body.  She decided to fight for good, because of Wesley and Spi-  Hey!!  Wait a damn minute!  You said Spike died!  Was your Spike a bleach blonde vamp with an attitude?”  Connor demanded shocked at what the implications were.

              “Platinum hair, blue eyes, great body, the attitude of a bad boy, and the soul of a poet,” Buffy reminisced fondly.

              “Buffy don’t forget the coat, his trench was like a second skin to him,” Dawn smiled at her.

              “He’s not dead guys!  He was at WolfRam with Angel.  He was Illyria’s sparing partner.  Didn’t you see him when you went to get that crazy slayer Andrew?”  Connor exclaimed.

              When they turned to him, Andrew looked like he wanted nothing more at that moment than for the earth to open up and swallow him.

              After a few moments of silence, Buffy ask in a low voice, “Did you see him?”

              He squirmed, tears appearing in his eyes.

              “You little bastard!  You saw him and didn’t tell me he was alive!”  She went to grab Andrew, only to come flat against the barrier Willow hastily threw between them.

              “He made me promise!  He wanted you to remember him as a hero.  He thought you would think less of him, or something.  I swear Buffy, I wanted to tell you,” Andrew cringed behind Willow’s protections.

              “Is there anything else you should tell us Andrew?”  Dawn ask coldly.

              He thought frantically for a few moments then, “Uh, when Buffy was dating The Immortal, Angel and Spike came here; they thought he had put a spell on you.  But, then they realized you were just moving on, so they left to let you live your life.  Please don’t hurt me, I know I should have told you, but he made me promise!”  The last was a pathetic wail as he started crying.

              “Don’t yell at him anymore, Buffy!  Why didn’t you guys help them when they went against WolfRam and Hart?  They might be alive if you had helped them!”  Connor demanded angrily.

              “We did go, Faith led the fight, and we lost dozens of girls.  There were hundreds of monsters, demons, even dragons; we had no warning, the army appeared overnight.  It took days to put down; lucky for us there was an earthquake and L.A.’s population had one of their riots at the same time, so our battle went unnoticed.  There was no sign of Angel or his people, Faith looked, hard.  She never believed he went bad.  Willow even scryed for him, but she couldn’t find him.  We really did try, Connor.”  Dawn quietly said the truth in her voice cooled his ire.

              “Buffy, can I drop Andrew’s shield, or are you going to make me cranky?”  Willow’s tone made the question almost a threat.

              Looking at her and then back at Andrew, “No Willow, I’ll be good.  You really should have told me, but I understand I get it, why you didn’t.”

              He visibly relaxed, but his voice still trembled, “I’m suddenly really tired.  I think I need to go to bed.”

              “I think we all need to sleep, we have a lot to take in.  Where am I sleeping?” Willow’s voice resumed it’s normally chipper tone.

              “Andrew’s already on the couch, so I’ll blow up the air-mattress for you; we’ll put it in my room.  You good with that?”  Buffy said as she pulled the air-mattress out of the closet.

              “Actually, since I can’t open my eyes yet, if Andrew will just help me get to the bathroom and back, he can keep his room tonight.”

              Andrew readily agreed to Connor’s proposal and after getting him back to the couch, he scurried for the safety of his room.  When everyone else headed off to sleep Dawn lingered with Connor. Finally she had to tell Buffy to go to her own room, promising to do the same shortly, she just needed to talk to Connor for a minute more.  Buffy gave her a warning glare before leaving them alone in the darkened living room.

              “Connor, I’m sorry.”

              “What?”

              “I’m sorry you had to live through all that awful stuff, I’m sorry so many people lied to you, I’m sorry I had to lie to Brad, and I’m sorry Buffy almost killed you because of me.”

              He reached for her and finding her hands, held them tightly.  “None of that was you’re fault.  I understand now why you told Brad what you did; and Dawn, if I had been in her place I wouldn’t have done what Buffy did, I-”

              “I know, she’s just so overprotective of me-”

              “Dawn,” he interrupted, “I wouldn’t have beaten the person who hurt you, I would have slit their throat,” his voice stone cold.

              She stared at him in shock.  When she found her voice she said, “No.  No Connor, we don’t kill people; demons, vampires, monsters, yes, people, no.  I know it sounds dumb, but there are laws for people and we can’t take that law into our hands.”  She made her voice as earnest as she could and squeezed his hands for emphasis, trying to convince him.  “Connor just imagine if Buffy and the other Slayers decided instead of fighting for the good of people, they should control them.  They could, they are super strong, there are lots of them now, and the Watchers Council already had their hands in every nation across the world.  The Slayers could become a nation of fricken superwomen.  They could rule the world if they wanted and that would be just as wrong as if they let demons rule.”

              “In my head I know you’re right, really Dawn I do.  But Dawn, when you love someone your head doesn’t always call the shots.”  He smiled at her, squeezing her hands.

              “Love?”  Her throat constricted with conflicting emotions, hope, and fear.  _Does he mean me?  Me?_  

              “Uh, Buffy, I mean, she loves you, so not thinking.”  _Oh God, that sounds so stupid, I just don’t know what I should be feeling now.  My head feels so full; it’s kind of overwhelming….  Oh crap, now she’ll think I don’t like her!  Say something!_   “I really uh, I think I like you, so I can understand her reaction.  You know?”  _Crappy backpedal, man._  

              “No, I totally know, it’s cool.  I uhm, I think I should go to bed now.”  _Dumb Dawn, dumb.  Love!  Of course he wasn’t talking about you.  Way to sound all moon-struck and clingy. Just get up and go_.  When she tried to stand he wouldn’t let go of her hands.  

              “I’m sorry Dawn, I’m just tired and not making sense, I guess.  Please just sit with me a while more.”  

              “Alright Connor, but I will need to go to bed soon.  I’m really tired too.”  

              When Buffy got up in the night she tripped over Dawn, “What are you doing still out here?”  She hissed.  

              “We were talking, I guess we fell asleep.  I, um, I guess I’ll just go to my room now,” her face burning with embarrassment she was glad her sister couldn’t see, Dawn retreated to her room.  Buffy stared at her sister’s closed door a few moments before continuing on her bathroom run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't find much info on the goddess Edinkira, so I decided she was a neutral/good deity. I you have knowledge otherwise I'd be interested in it. Also I don't know if there is actually a "african dryad" but for the sake of my story there are. :)


	4. Chapter 4

                                                            When In Rome.    

Ch.   4  

_Italics are thought._  

**Bold is Italian.**

I own nothing bla, bla, bla.

 

 

              “Hey Connor, don’t open your eyes,” he heard Andrew whisper.  “Wave your arm if you hear me.”

              “Hi Andrew,” he said while waving, “What time is it?”

              “A little after sunrise, I’m going to work at our council offices today to give Buffy some cool off time.  Cause she might still, you know, want to pummel me and even though I deserve it, I don’t wanna.  I just needed to tell you something, it’s important and a secret.  I haven’t told anyone and you can’t either, but I think you need to hear it.  Whew, here goes.  I used to tell lots of stories to other people, but to myself too.  They made it easier, made life seem like a movie and not, you know, real.  After the battle with The First, Xander needed to know what happened to Anya.  He knew I’d been with her, so I was who he asked.  I told him she went down saving me, I made her death heroic.  I said she was amazing, she was never scared; not even for a second.  But the thing is, she was scared, really scared.  At least she was until I told her to think about bunnies and other things I thought were happy and worth fighting for.  I didn’t know she had a bunny phobia, she hated them.  The hate she had for bunnies, of all things, gave her the fire to fight, she forgot to be scared.  When the Ubervamps attacked us she killed two of them and I just got pushed into a wall.  She fought Bringers while I cowered against that wall; she probably did save me.  I only killed a Bringer on accident; he tripped and fell on my sword.  I didn’t see what happened to her, for all I know she was still alive when the Hellmouth collapsed.  I lied to him Connor, but it was what he needed to hear.  He needed to believe that she felt no pain, no fear, that she was a brave warrior to the end.  It made her death something he could handle, something he could deal with.  I wanted to tell him, tell anyone, the truth; but I was afraid they would blame me for her dying.  Cause I didn’t, you know, help her.”

              “You think she would have lived if you had been able to fight and help her?”

              “I don’t know I didn’t expect to survive the fight.  I thought I was going to die, I was strangely okay with it, but I didn’t, I lived.”

              “That’s awful Andrew,” Dawn’s whisper made them both jump.  “You were scared; it wasn’t anything you could be blamed for.  You hadn’t ever really been in a fight before; anyway we all know you aren’t good with violence, not even when it’s just sparring.  You’re good at other stuff.”  She came and sat by them, hugging Andrew before taking Connor’s hand.

              “She’s right!  If you’re not a fighter, you’re not a fighter, and that’s just that.  But you should tell Xander, he deserves to know.  Just be sure you tell him why you lied first, it might soften the blow.  Andrew, it really is okay not to be a fighter, brains and heart is just as important.  Remember Fred?  Unless she had a crossbow she couldn’t do much in a physical confrontation, she just wasn’t strong enough.  However, she could do research and plans like no one else.  Gunn used to say ‘My girl, large and in charge, okay, teeny weeny and in charge!’.  And she was, cause she had brains and used them.”  Connor wanted Andrew to know he meant what he said.

              “Look, I just wanted to tell Connor, I thought it might help him understand why you lied to Brad.  Dawn don’t tell anyone, I’ll tell Xander, just let me figure out how to tell him.  Okay?  Don’t say anything until I can tell him, it would be wrong for him to hear it secondhand.”  Andrew pleaded.  

              “Alright Andy, I won’t tell, but you had better tell him soon.  You’ve carried this too long already.  He should take it all right, cause I think he’s moved on now.  You know he’ll understand that you wanted to help him, he’s smart like that.”  Dawn gently reassured him before asking, “What are you doing up this early anyway?”

              “He’s sneaking out to the office to avoid your sister.  Should he still be worried about her?”

              She heard the edge in his voice and nervously cleared her throat.  “She shouldn’t still be mad, but if she is I have your back and I bet Willow does too.  Oh hey!  I know what.  Remember how the coven was able to locate and retrieve a few personal items for us?  Well, as soon as she’s up I’ll steal Mr. Gordo, Mr. Pointy, and the photo album; I’ll hold them ransom to release upon her good behavior.  She won’t have a choice but to play nice.”  Dawn smile at her solution.

              Andrew ‘whewed’ in relief, but Connor wasn’t convinced.  “You’re gonna hold a stuffed animal, a stake, and some pictures hostage?”  

              “Look, she probably isn’t gong to be stupid about it today, but if she is those three things were the only things she could get from home after it was destroyed.  They are very important!  Andrew, give me a minute, you’re gonna take my treasures with you so she can’t do the same to me.”  Dawn turned around and saw Buffy standing in her doorway.

              “That won’t be necessary, Dawn.  Andrew, I’m not mad anymore, just sad, hearing he was alive and I didn’t know it; he didn’t want me to know.  That hurt, you know?  I didn’t mean to lash out at you.  I guess Will and Xand were right when they told me my answer to everything was violence,” Buffy grimaced.

              “Didn’t they tell you that your sophomore year in high school?”  Dawn ask in a deceptively sweet voice.

              “Yeah, well, it just now sunk in alright!”  Buffy snapped.  “I just wish I had known, I….”

              Willow came out of Buffy’s room and wrapped her arms around Buffy, holding her, “It’s all right, we understand.  Don’t we?”

              The rest murmured their assent.  Then Connor asks, “Willow, can I open my eyes yet?”

              “Well, the light’s dim, so let’s try.  Open them and if it hurts or there are, like, spots or anything weird, shut them again, quickly.”

              Dawn held her breath as he slowly opened first one then his other eye.  He blinked and then with more surety looked around, seeing her he smiled.

              Her breath came out in a rush, “Oh, thank goodness!”  She exclaimed.  

              He sat up and opened his arms, she threw herself into them.  _Thank God, she looks like she’s okay.  I can’t believe she forgave me so easily, she is amazing.  I am never gonna hurt her again._

              “Uhm, since I’m safe now, I’ll eat some breakfast before I go to the office,” Andrew hurried to the kitchen, embarrassed.  

              Buffy and Willow looked from the scene on the couch to each other and Willow shrugged, motioning to follow Andrew to the kitchen.  With another worried look at Dawn, Buffy followed.  

              _Oh, wow, I was afraid he wouldn’t be able to see, or something.  I hope there isn’t any leftover damage._   “So, how are you feeling?  Everything okay in your head?”  

              “Yeah, everything’s fine.  I still have a little headache though.  How are you?”  He pulled back enough to get a good look at her, studying her face in concern.  

              “I’m still a little weak, but they said we would feel that way for a couple days.”  

              “They who?  I didn’t want to ask with Buffy here, but how am I not in an amazing amount of pain?  She hits hard,” he ruefully ask.  

              “Willow, she teleported here with two really powerful magic style healers.  You were really hurt and I knew regular doctors wouldn’t be able to cut it.  So, we brought in the big guns.”  She tried to keep her tone light.  

              “Okay, they healed me, but why are you tired and I’m not?”  

              “Well.”  She knew he had been told he had almost died, but he hadn’t been told what it had taken to save him; she really hadn’t wanted to tell him exactly how bad Buffy had hurt him.  “Alright, the truth is, you were so badly hurt that they couldn’t heal you.  The two most powerful healers, in the strongest coven in the world, didn’t have enough power to heal you.  We weren’t exaggerating when we said Buffy almost killed you.  You were hurt so bad; you were bleeding out of your nose, ears, and even your eyes.  The healers needed to take power from me and Buffy to put your brain back together, even with our help they had to leave your cuts and bruises alone, and they only partially healed your cheekbone.  I’m sorry; I didn’t want to tell you how bad it was.”  She hung her head, ashamed.  

              He thought about what she said for a moment, letting it all process, before raising her chin to be able to look her in the eye.  “There is nothing to be sorry for,” at her look.  “No, listen to me.  I screwed up and Buffy screwed up, you are the only one who didn’t.  You did what you thought was right and I knew you were right as soon as my brain got ahead of my mouth.  Buffy came home and found you hurt, hurt by me, and she lost it.  Granted, when she lost it I thought her fist was going to come out the back of my head, or at least, that’s what I would have thought if I’d had time to think.  Shhh, I’m not done.  You got me help; you and Buffy gave up part of yourselves to save me.  We’re even.  Well, we’re even as long as you try to get Buffy into some anger management classes.”  He smiled at her as he cracked the little joke.  

              “That was so beautiful,” came Andrew’s amazed voice.  They turned to see him and Willow standing at the edge of the kitchen.  

              “Wow, if you don’t want him, I’ll take him!”  Willow laughed.  

              “Thanks Andy, you’re sweet.  Yes Connor, I think anger management classes are in order.  And Willow, you’re gay.  Remember?”  Dawn grinned mischievously at them.  

              “Damn, you’re right.  Well then, missy, you had better keep him.  Just remember this young man; if you turn out to be evil in any way, I might not be around to get your head put back together.  You’ll remember that, won’t you?”  She tried really hard to keep a straight face and didn’t quite make it.  

              “Yes ma’am, if I turn evil by all means take apart my head,” his face and tone were completely serious.  

              “Uhm, cause Dawn sticks up for me a lot, I’ll have to help research and plan how to best take apart your head, you know,” Andrew smiles broadly, happily playing along.

              “Whose head are we taking apart?”  Buffy ask as she left the kitchen, confused.  

              “Mine.”  

              “Oh, no, we are not!  Willow just had to open the jelly jar for me.  You better not be evil after all that.”  She cried in mock horror.  

              “Hey, can we stop talking about destroying heads, like right now.”  Dawn demanded.  

              Buffy sighed, “Dawnie, we are just kidding.”  

              “No, I wasn’t.”  Connor stated simply.  “If I go evil, kill me.”  

              “Oh, for Gaea’s sake, Connor!  You are not evil.  Period.  You aren’t quite a normal human, but who here besides Andrew, is?  When we were healing you we, Althanea, Herata, and I, got a peek in your head; you aren’t evil.  You’re moody and a little prone to temper tantrums yes, but not evil.  Got it?!”  Willow angrily told him.  “I am so very tired of everyone blaming themselves to the point of stupidity!  Buffy’s sorry, Dawnie’s sorry, Connor’s sorry, Andrew’s sorry, and heck at this point I’m sorry too; and I don’t know what I’m sorry for!  If I hear the words ‘I’m sorry’ one more time I’ll….. I’ll make your mouth disappear!! Everyone got it!!”  Her temper showed in the lightning like energy crackling visibly in the air.  

              Andrew saw the lightning and dove back into the kitchen to hide.  Connor grabbed Dawn and shoved her behind him; not sure what he was shielding her from or how he would protect her, but he knew a threat when he saw one.  He struggled to his feet, pushing her down on the couch to make her a smaller target for whatever might come.  

              Buffy grabbed Willow’s shoulders shouting, “Willow what are you doing?!”  

              Willow shuddered and folded forward, held upright by Buffy’s grasp, the moment of danger passing.  “Ooohh, I’m back.  I’m me.  Sorry, I’m sorry; I just guess my control is a little weak after all the power draining yesterday.  I just got so mad; it’s like guilt-apaloosa in here.”  

               Dawn tried to rise, but Connor restrained her, still fearful for her safety.  

               “Connor, let me up.  I have to see this.  Please.”  

               “See what?”  He asks her, not taking his eyes off the witch.  

               “She has to make her own mouth disappear.  She said the next person to say you-know-what got their mouths disappeared, and I’ve got to see this!”  She grinned as they all stared at her.  

               “Oh crap, well I did promise.  Give me a minute to figure out how to do this and then get it back, alright.”  Willow wrinkled her nose in embarrassment.  

               “Can I come back out?  Cause I want to see too.”  Andrew called  

               “You know if you don’t you’ll regret it!”  Buffy told him before she collapsed, almost literally rolling on the floor with laughter.  

               Dawn tugged Connor’s arm, making him sit down next to her.  “It’s alright now.  She just, every now and then, has moments.  Magic isn’t wholly good or bad, the person wielding it takes it to different places.  Willow first learned combative and vengeance type magic, so she ended up with lots of black power in her.  But now she has found the light, so to speak, and most of the time it’s kitten and puppy goodness.  It’s just, well, um…  It’s kind of like what happened with you.  Holtz raised you to kill Angel, but also raised you to protect people from demons.  He considered killing Angel as protecting, so we’ll let that go.  He made you into a kick ass fighter so you could carry out his vengeance, which was wrong and filled you with darkness.  But now, you don’t fight for vengeance.  You just fight to protect people, so you have found the light too.  Sometimes you lose control too, but you try not to.  Heck, we all lose control sometimes, it’s human nature.”  She whispered all this to him as the others laughed, making him relax his defensive posture.  

                “Hey, I’ve got it!”  Willow went to the bags she had conjured over when she decided to stay awhile and pulled out some dried herbs.  “Watch this.”  She sprinkled a little over her mouth and it, along with her chin and a single nostril, disappeared.   

                 Andrew waved his hand through the missing parts of her face, “Wicked!”  

                 Her eyes dancing with delight at their faces, she sprinkled different herbs and everything came back.  

                 “That felt really weird, I don’t think I’ll do that again soon,” she worked her jaw and rubbed her nose, as if making sure everything was in working order.  

                 “Did it hurt?”  Buffy ask curiously.  

                 “Kind of tickled.  So aside from the possible panic factor, I guess it wouldn’t be a good punishment.”  

                 “I don’t know, I think I would have given you one of my arms if you had done that to Kennedy a couple times,” Buffy chuckled. 

                 “God Buffy, give it a rest alright.  We know you despised Kennedy, damn.”  Dawn snapped at her sister when Willow looked hurt by her words.  

                 When Buffy saw Willow’s face she was immediately contrite.  

                 “I’m being bitchy, aren’t I?  It’s just, she wasn’t good enough for you and that bugged.  I would say you-know-what, but I think you might leave my mouth gone for a while just to get some peace and quiet.”  

                 Willow, being Willow, just waved it off.  “I know she was a pain in your neck and you didn’t really know what I saw in her, except that she was hot and wanted me.  She thought I was strong and I needed that then.  It just wasn’t enough to last, you know.  Anyway, there is a new slayer that I noticed was giving her the eye, so she won’t be lonely long.”  

                 “Does Willow have a new fan in line?”  Dawn eagerly ask. 

                 “No, I want some Willow time.  Just me and my friends, saving the world and being silly.”   

                 “Well, I think we should go be silly and shop, you didn’t bring any extra cloths and hey, the council’s paying!”  Buffy jumped up and danced Willow around the room.  “Just let me lose the jami’s and we’ll go shop.  Cool?”   

                 “Free stuff, hmm, let me see….  Yes that sounds great.  I just need to change too.”  Willow laughed.  

                 Buffy grinned and ran to her room with a cry of, “Me first!”   

                 When she left the room Andrew left for the office, wishing everyone a good day.  After a few minutes Buffy returned and waved for Willow to proceed, who graciously bowed before scampering off.  Connor watched the proceedings with a bemused expression, while Dawn closed her eyes and snuggled into his chest.  

                 _He smells good, kind of spicy, and he feels good holding me.  Whew, it’s good to know he isn’t evil.  Mmmm, he’s warm._ She smiled at her thoughts and before she realized she had dozed off.  

                 _She’s sleeping, so cute._ He motioned to Buffy to be quiet, indicating Dawn’s sleeping form.  She nodded, went to the door, and quietly called to Willow.  After telling the other girl that Dawn was asleep; she brought Connor some juice and a couple of bagels, apologizing that they didn’t have more by the way of breakfast food.  Then the two friends left to go make with the shopping.  Connor settled into the couch after eating, letting himself enjoy just holding Dawn.  _She’s so beautiful.  Her skin is like porcelain, and her hair, like silk.  And she is so sweet too.  She’s perfect, just perfect.  Wow, you have it bad don’t you?  Oh, shut up,_ he told himself.  _She is so comfortable; her head fits perfectly against the curve of my chest and shoulder.  Mmm, I can feel her heart beating through my chest, cool._   He smiled as he let himself drift off to sleep cuddling her.


	5. Chapter 5

                                                When In Rome.    

Ch.   5  

_Italics are thought._

**Bold is Italian.**

I own nothing bla, bla, bla.  

Wait, I take that back, I own the poem You and I  

 

 

 

              “Oh, my god.  Are you two still asleep?  We’ve been gone six hours.”  Buffy cried when she and Willow returned from shopping.

              “Mmmmm,” was the only response Dawn gave.

              “I’ve been awake for awhile.  I just didn’t want to wake her.”  Connor smiled up at the girls.

              Gradually Dawn woke, hearing the others quietly discussing the clothing Buffy and Willow had bought.  She raised her head from Connor’s chest, rubbing her eyes.  “You’re back fast, couldn’t you guys find anything?”

              “Honey, it’s three o’clock in the afternoon.  You’ve slept the day away.”  Buffy laughed at her.  

              “WHAT!”  Dawn shouted in horror, falling off the couch in her haste to stand.  

              “Oww, damn,” Connor muttered.  “You alright Dawn?  Sorry I couldn’t catch you, my arm’s not working.”  

              “I’m fine, but what’s wrong with your arm?”  

              “You were laying on it all day.”  He smiled down at her.  

              “Oh, duh.  Why didn’t you wake me?”  

              “Maybe, he thought you needed some beauty rest,” Willow said, winking a Buffy.  

              “Well, if that’s the case, she needs to go back to sleep for about a year.”  Buffy grinned wickedly at her sister.  

              “Excuse me, if I don’t have slayer power and needed longer to recharge.”  Dawn growled scowling at Buffy from the floor.  

              “Leave her alone.”  Connor slid off the couch, scooping Dawn into his arms as he glared at the others.  

              “Joking, just joking,” Willow assured him.  “And hey, we tried to see Brad, but this nurse wouldn’t let us in cause we weren’t blood relatives.”  

              “Did she look like a fricken Barbie doll?”  Dawn ask disgruntled.  

              “Oh my god, complete with the fake smile.  I so wanted to hit her!”  Buffy rolled her eyes.  

              “Well, now that Dawn’s up we’ll go and see how he is.  Don’t worry, if he asks about Kelly I know what we have to say.”  He stood, taking Dawn with him and set her on her feet gently.  

              “Alright, but first I’m gonna take a shower and change cloths.  I recommend you at least take a shower before we leave, you can change when we get your stuff from the hotel.”  Without waiting for a response she walked to her room and came out again with an armload of cloths.  “Maybe, you should eat while I shower and I can when you take one.  Okay?”  He nodded at her and headed to the kitchen.  

              A short while later, they were at the hotel Connor had been staying at; he changed cloths, they packed all of his and his friends stuff, checked out, and took it back to Dawn’s.  Then with that finished they were on their way to the hospital.  

 

              Damn Barbie bitch, **“We were here yesterday and you know it!  We need to see him, just buzz us in.”**   Connor’s fists clenched, he shoved then deep in his pockets to keep himself in check as Dawn argued with the nurse.  

               **“And I already told you that only family can go in.  There is no point in getting an attitude; it won’t make me let you in.”** She smiled like an evil Barbie.  **“Now, if you’ll excuse me I have work to do.** ”  She promptly started ignoring them.  Dawn kept trying to talk to her, ultimately sputtering to an end.  

               “What do we do?”  She hissed at Connor.  

               “Easy,” he ginned nastily.  **“Hey, Bitch.”** That got her attention.  “ **Is there a reason why you aren’t letting the only people in this continent who know him in to see him, or do we have to find your boss and file a complaint?”**   She stared at him.  **“Oh, look I bet any one of these other nurses would be happy to direct us to the proper authority, or maybe I should skip that and just contact the police.  I’m sure they would have the authority to allow us in.”**   She glowered at them, but hit the button to admit them.  

               Once they were safely inside, “How did you know that would work?”  Dawn demanded.  

               “I didn’t, but I remembered Gunn telling me that cause we weren’t supposed to beat people to make them do what we wanted, there were other ways to get what we wanted.  Threatening someone with trouble with their boss will usually work, if it doesn’t threaten the cops.  No one wants to get in trouble with them.”   

               They paused outside Brad’s room, “Come on, let’s go in.”  He took her hand and led her in.   Seeing his friend was awake, “Hey, Brad, you’re awake.  How you feeling?  We visited yesterday, do you remember?”  Connor gently asks his friend.  

               “Hey guys!  ‘Course I ‘member you visiting.  I feel great, I still have my button.  Hey, it’s the girl.  The tour girl, I guess you ask her out after all.  That’s my boy!”  He beamed up at them.   

               Connor blushed, “Uhm, I haven’t actually asked her out yet.”  

               “Just so you know Brad, when he does I’m gonna say yes,” she winked at the laughing invalid.  

               “Where’s Kelly?”  Brad asks wiping away laugh-tears.  

               “She’s fine, she’s just in her room, and we’re heading there to visit her next.  We’ll tell her you say hi.”  Connor looked uncomfortable, but said what needed to be said. 

               “Huh?  Visit her?  What do you mean?”  

               “We mean after we visit with you we’ll go and see her.  She’s still hurt and can’t come here yet.  Okay?”  Dawn tried to reassure him, she could see Connor was having difficulty lying.  

               “No, she’s not hurt.  She was here last night.  She’s totally fine.  What the hell have those doctors been telling you?!”  Brad demanded angrily.  

               Dawn was suddenly very, very worried.  “Connor, I need you to hold it together in here.  Don’t contradict him about Kelly, I’m worried.”  She whispered in his ear, when he nodded she hurried back out to the nurses station.  

              **“Hello, look I know you don’t like us for some reason, but…”**

               **“I don’t like you because you two were very loud and disruptive after I let you in yesterday.”**   She coldly interrupted.  

              **“I sincerely apologize for that, but it is very, very important that you tell me what the blonde girl yesterday looked like.  How tall was she, how long was her hair, her eye color?  Anything, please.”**   Dawn pleaded.  

               **“She was as tall as you, her hair was short, and had brown eyes.  I though she was supposed to be your sister?”** The nurse eyed Dawn suspiciously.  

               Dawn felt her face drain of color, **“No, that girl isn’t my sister, that girl is dangerous.  She is kind of crazy and will try to hurt Brad.  Please, please don’t let her back in.  Irregardless of what you think of me or Connor, don’t let her back in, Brad’s life depends on her not getting to him.”**   The desperation in her voice cracked Barbie’s distasteful expression.  

              **“Are you serious?”**

**“Yes, unbelievably serious.”**

**“I’ll alert security, now please go away.”**   She turned her back on Dawn.  Not knowing if the woman would actually do as she said, Dawn hurried back to Connor.  

               “Connor, please come out here,” she called from outside Brad’s door.  When he came, “We have a problem, I need you to stay calm, but I think Kelly might have been turned into a you-know-what.”  She whispered in his ear, praying he didn’t have a repeat of the last time they were here.  

               “I know,” his voice was completely devoid of expression.  She stared at him as he continued, “He said she came to see him last night and she changed into vamp face and told him that when he is better she is going to turn him and they will be together forever.  He is happy, HAPPY, about it.  He says it’ll be like their poem and he’s happy.” His voice broke on the last word.  

               “Don’t worry, I’ll call Buffy, we’ll get someone here, and make sure someone is always here.  We’ll take care of him.”  

               Suddenly a vent dropped out of the ceiling, followed by a person who backhanded Dawn down the hall.  

               “Actually, nothing of the sort will happen.”  The thing that had been Kelly grinned at Dawn’s unconscious form.  “Excuse me Connor; I need to see my baby.”  

               “That will never happen.”  He blocked Brad’s door, while gazing sadly at her, knowing what he had to do.  

               “Connor, who do you think you are?  I am power now and all you are is a little boy who happens to be between me and what I want.  Not a good idea.”  She leaned against the wall with a sinister nonchalance, confident in her newfound strength.  

               “Who do I think I am vampire?  I am The Destroyer!  I have killed ‘powers’ like you since I could walk and I will remove your head with my bare hands before I let you hurt Brad.”  The cold certainty in his voice and the utter blankness of his face gave the vampire a momentary pause, but only a moment.  

               “Hurt Brad?  I’m not going to hurt him, I’m gonna make him young and strong forever.  I was going to do the same for you, but if you won’t play nice I guess you won’t be getting the prize.”  With that she lunged at him, intending to tackle him, he sidestepped and caught her by the throat in a movement so swift she couldn’t follow it.  

                “I’m sorry Kelly.”  He brought his other hand to her shoulder and prepared to pull them apart.   

                Frantically she reacted like a girl and kicked him in the balls.  That was such an unexpectedly human attack that he didn’t think to block it.  He saw white spots and collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.  She viciously kicked him in the face, laughing at him.  

                “Remove my head, will you!  Ha!  You’ll do no-AAAHHH!!!”  Her taunts turned to screams when Dawn stabbed her in the back with a knife she pulled from her purse.  Flinging both Dawn and the knife away, Kelly fled when security rushed in, alerted by the sounds of violence.  

                It took a while to convince the authorities that they had been defending Brad from attack and not the crazy attackers themselves.  Even once security camera footage showed them no to have been the aggressors, they were still escorted out of the hospital.  This was no doubt due to Dawn having pulled out a knife and stabbing someone.  As soon as they were alone Dawn called Buffy, who in turn called reinforcements, in the form of an Italian slayer named Sarah.  They waited a half an hour for her to arrive and insisted that she promise them hourly phone calls.  They waited to leave until she was safely inside the hospital, then they caught a cab home.  

                No sooner than they entered the apartment than Buffy sat them down and told them that when Sarah had gotten to the room, several of the hospital staff were dead, Brad was gone, and in the bed was a note, just three words ‘You and I’.  Buffy ask what the significance was.  

                “It’s a poem, Brad wrote You and I for her.”  Connor numbly recited it.

                        When night falls

                        And the moon is dark

                        I will come for you

                        When daylight shows

                        And birds first sing

                        You will come to me

                        When all turns cold

                        And summer fades

                        I will be with you

                        When warmth returns

                        And spring is born

                        You will be with me

                        When the world ends

                        And life is no more

                        You and I will be together

 

                “She loved that poem, even though she thought it was a bit morbid.  Brad didn’t write poetry often, but he loved to read it, his favorite was Poe.  He was gonna be a Lit professor.”  He sadly wondered if his friend was still alive while Dawn wrapped an arm around his shoulders.  

                At that moment Sarah and a Council currier arrived with the hospital security camera footage.  Quietly they sat and watched, hoping to find clues.  They watched the fight with Kelly, Dawn, and Connor, then Dawn and Connor being escorted out, and then Kelly’s return.  She ripped through anyone who tried to stop her; including the Barbie nurse, who after Kelly morphed into vamp face, had pulled out a cross and tried to hold her at bay.  Dawn cried a little when she saw that.  The only one not surprised to see a still living Brad being carefully carried out by vamp Kelly was Connor.   

                “Hey, rewind that, I think I can read her lips,” Connor told them.  They did as he asked and everyone with heightened senses concentrated.  “Oh, wow,” he muttered, putting his head in his hands.  

                “What?  What did she say?”  Dawn demanded after a moment.  

                “She was promising him that as soon as he gets healed up she would turn him.  I guess she doesn’t know that turning him would ‘heal’ him.  Anyway, he was telling her to go ahead and do it now, before anyone could try to separate them again.  Luckily she told him no, but I couldn’t catch what he said after that.”  Buffy told Dawn.  

                “The last bit Brad said was him asking Kelly where I was and why I wasn’t helping her like I should be.”  

                “Connor, I’m sorry to have to ask this, but was he in his right mind?”  Buffy carefully ask Connor.  

                He looked at Dawn, who hugged him to her, before answering, “I don’t know.  He was on pain meds and was really out of it the first day, but today he didn’t seem out of it.  I don’t-”  

                 Dawn interrupted, “Connor, would he normally have ask about me with me right there?”   

                 He shook his head after thinking about it.  “No, he wouldn’t have been quite that blunt.  Damn, I guess he’s still out of it.”  

                 “Oh crap, then when she was there last night she could’ve got him believing all sorts of stuff,” Andrew cried dejectedly.  

                 “We need to find where she took him, Wil locater spell time.”  Buffy turned to her friend.  

                 “Alright, but if she’s still on the move-”  

                 “I can track them; I can track anyone once I know their scent.”  Connor quietly interrupted.   

                 Sarah broke in and asks, **“Why is she doing this?**   Oh, sorry.”  She continued in English, “Why is she doing this?  I thought that vampires killed their former loved ones, not nurse them back to health.”  

                 Dawn answered the confused girl, “Sometimes, they attempt to recreate their lives before they were turned.  It’s very rare.  Connor how long have they been together?”

                 “Since they were eight years old.”  

                 “Wow!”  “The whole time?”  “Oh my god!”  **“What?”**   “Holy crap!”    

                 He smiled slightly at their responses, “Yeah, apparently another girl tried to hold his hand on the playground when they were in third grade and Kelly beat her up.  She then informed Brad that he was her boyfriend and they have been together ever since.  In fact, their senior year of high school, Brad’s dad got transferred from the town they grew up in Nebraska to the town in California my family lives in and she moved with them.  She left her family rather than be separated from him.  That’s when I met them and we became best friends almost instantly.”  

                 “So, does she consider you family?”  Andrew asks in the silence that followed Connor’s statement.  At his nod, “So, does that mean that if she can she’s gonna try to vamp Connor?”  

                 “Like Hell she is!”  Dawn shrieked.  

                 “Calm down, Dawnie.  She’s not getting him; she isn’t getting either of them.  She thinks Brad needs to be healthy first, so we can use that time to get him away from her, kill her, and then straighten out his head.  Willow, the spell done yet?”  Buffy tried to calm her sister.  

                 The witch ignored them, concentrating on the spell she had cast.  Frowning, “She’s in the hospital still, lower level basement.  I can’t be more specific than that cause she’s moving around a lot.”  She looked up at Connor, “I guess you’ll be up, Mr. Super Tracker.”  

                 Without a word he stood and headed for the door.  Dawn grabbed his arm, “Wait!  We need a plan and-”  

                 “No plan.  No time, I have to find them now.”  He growled at Dawn as she tugged his arm.  

                 “A little plan, yes, we have time for a little planning.”  

                 “Dawn get your lock picks, we’re going to have to get in as quietly as possible.  Andrew, you’re driving.  I’ll get the weapons, Connor what would you like?”  Buffy calmly took charge.  When he indicated the sword he wanted she added it to a bulging bag that already held Dawns crossbow.  

                 Dawn reentered the room tucking a stake in her back pocket; crossing to Connor she took his arm and looked intently at him.  “You have to stay calm; we can’t help Brad if you flip out.”  

                  He turned to her and his expression made her step back, but not quite let go of him.  “I know what has to be done.  I know better than you, what to do.   I am going to kill one of my best friends.”  

                  “Connor I-”  

                  “I can do this; don’t worry about me not taking care of business.  This, at least, I can do.” He stonily told her.  

                  “That’s not what I’m worried about.”  She stepped back up to him and he let her wrap her arms around him.  She watched him carefully as she whispered urgently, “I’m worried about you.  Please Connor, don’t pull away from me.  Let me help you, you don’t have to be alone in this.”  

                  “Everyone is alone when it comes down to it, Dawn.  Surely you know this by now.”  He smiled gently to take the sting out of his words.  

                  “Hey, we’re ready now.  Are you gonna be able to hold it together?”  Buffy demanded, obviously not liking how he was holding her little sister.  

                  He nodded, pulling Dawn closer to him and defiantly kissed the top of her head as he dragged her out the door with him.  

                _What’s going on in his head? God, I hope this doesn’t send him over the edge, he’s so close to it after all.  Hey, he kissed me!  Okay, don’t read too much into it, it was just the top of my head.  But, does he like me?  Maybe?  Down girl, that’s so not important right now.  We’ve got to get though this in one piece and him still sane.  That sane part might be tough.  Oh hell._

_Gotta focus, she’s right, can’t freak out and save Brad.  The vampire is going to try to mess with my head when it realizes I’m there to stop it.  Remember Angelus.  Don’t get stupid, have to save Brad.  Don’t lose yourself again, don’t lose-_

                   “You don’t have to be the one who kills her.  It would probably be easier if one of us did it.”  She interrupted his thoughts with an alternative she hoped he would take.  

                   “No.”  _Just as I thought_ Dawn muttered in her head.  “I have to do it, I owe her that.  I need you to get Brad away, fast; I don’t want him to see me do it.”  His arm convulsed, painfully tight, around Dawn.  She laid her head on his shoulder, looking up into Buffy’s worried eyes in the rearview mirror.  

                   “We’re here guys, Dawn you’re up.”   Everyone except Andrew got out of the jeep and watched Dawn work the lock.  After a few tense moments there was an audible click and Dawn swung the door open with a satisfied grin.  When Buffy went to enter first, Connor stopped her, “I have to be first, to best track the scent.”  

                   She nodded and let him pass, but grabbed Dawn and pushed her sister behind her hissing, “Stay where I can protect you.”   

                   Willow and Sarah entered last, Sarah acting as rearguard.  Andrew stayed behind with the jeep.  

                   Connor sniffed the air experimentally before setting off down the hall.  He led them through the labyrinth like basements of the hospital, pausing in a storage room that had obviously been ransacked, “She was here and he was with her.”  He set off at a lope, which was hard for the non-slayers to keep up with, leading them to an exit on the opposite side they had entered.   

                    Once outside he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, “That way.” And was off.  

                    He followed their scent straight back to the abandoned church were the tour had started.  Buffy opened the weapons bag and handed them out while Willow called Andrew, telling him where they were.  Once they were armed they carefully headed in.  Willow created a very small ball of light, since not even the slayers could see in the dark as well as Connor could.  

                   _I wish I’d paid closer attention when we were here before, so stupid.  There are too many potential ambush spots; this place is riddled with holes and side tunnels.  Damn. He glanced behind to make sure Dawn was still back there.  I wish Buffy would let her walk up here with me, it’s not like I can’t protect her, Destroyer and all.  If she was next to me I could touch her and I wouldn’t have to keep looking to know she’s fine.  It’s damn distracting.  Weird though, touching her seems to ground me.  I could really use some grounding right now.  Damn it man, focus._

                    Every time she saw him look at her, she tried to send him reassurances with her eyes.  _God, I hope he doesn’t have to be the one to kill her, I don’t know if he really can handle being the one to do it.  I hope we don’t have to find out.  He seems twitchy, I want to hold him, calm him somehow.  I hope he can stay calm, hell I hope I can stay calm.  Damn Buffy, if she could’ve just let me walk next to him I could touch him._

                    When he faintly saw a light ahead, he held up his hand to stop the others.  “We’re almost there, douse the light and stay quiet so we-”  

                    “Don’t give them any warning, we know what we’re doing,” Buffy snidely told him as Dawn elbowed past her, ignoring her sister’s hiss.  

_I hope I know what I’m doing.  Buffy’s gonna freak._ “I’ll be right beside you Connor.  All the way.”  As Willow’s light went out, Dawn gently reached up, cupping his cheeks and softly kissed him.  “I’m with you,” she breathed against his lips.  

                    “I love you.”  He crushed her lips to his in a desperate embrace.  

                    He broke away from the kiss as abruptly as he initiated it, turning away senses straining as they crept ahead.  He kept a grip on her hand as he moved, trying to catch any hint of what lay ahead.  Peering around the edge of the tunnel he saw the cavern ahead was brightly lit by a fire, making it easy to spot Brad and Kelly.  Brad was barely visible propped up on cushions, buried under blankets.  Kelly knelt next to him, trying to spoon feed him.  

                    “Come on baby, you have to eat.  It’s beef stew, you’re favorite.”  Weakly he swallowed the food she gave him.  “Once you’re strong I’ll make you like me and then we’ll be together forever, just like we always said.”  She gently smoothed his covers and kissed his forehead.  

                    He smiled up at her, “Do it now, I don’t want to wait.”  

                    “No, you have to be well first, so you can be healthy and strong forever.  You don’t want to be peevish for all eternity, do you?  Now settle down, you’ve eaten enough and I’ll read you some Poe.  I got a book of him for you last night.”  She settled into the cushions and held him close.

              “It was many and many a year ago,

                        In a kingdom by the sea,

              That a maiden there lived whom you may know

                        By the name of Annabel Lee;…”  

                    _Every time he was sick she would read to him, he loved it.  It was the only time she would read poetry that he hadn’t written; she always said that his work was the only type she likes._

                     “Connor stop.”  Dawn’s urgent whisper and tug on his sleeve brought him back to the here and now, just stopping him from striding into the cavern.  

                     “Sorry.”  He pulled them back into the tunnel, away from the cavern entrance.  “Okay, I have a plan.  Willow, Sarah, you two go in first and don’t be at all stealthy.  Just act like you’ve wandered down here to make out.”  

                     “Make out?  What?”  Willow gasp, “Why do we have-”  

                     “Calm down.  It is the easiest way to distract them and we are the only ones they have not seen.  Just remember we are here to save the boy’s life.”  The Italian slayer calmly took Willow’s hand and indicated for Connor to continue.  

                     “Okay, while they have them distracted Dawn can get Brad out while me and Buffy take out Kelly.”  

                     “Sorry, but Brad looks like he needs to be carried out, plus he might not come willingly, so I better do that.”  Buffy interjected.  

                     “Fine, then Dawn can cover me with her crossbow.  Willow, Sarah, go.”  He Dawn and Buffy waited in the tunnel while Sarah and Willow started loudly laughing.  

                     “Come on babe, it’s just around the corner, the sweetest spot.”  Sarah loudly said dragging a blushing Willow into the cavern.  Hey, looks like I’m not the only one who’s heard about this place.  You don’t mind that we came to fool around too, do you?”  

                     Kelly laughed and assured her that it was fine.  

                     Connor sneaked a peek in and saw all attention was held by the girls on the other side of the room.  _Wow._ He waved for Dawn and Buffy to follow him in.  They silently made their way into the cavern, sneaking up behind Connor’s friends.  

                     “Brad, I’m gonna just slip over there and have a drink.  They’re so occupied with each other they might not notice.”  The hunger was evident in her voice.  

                     “Maybe you shouldn’t, I mean they’re people, Kelly.”  He sounded unsure.  

                     “Sweetheart, this is what we will have to do to be together,” she tartly informed him.  

                     “Baby, I-”  

                     “I love you Brad, but this is what I am now and what you will be too.”  She snapped, and then looked into his eyes worried, “Don’t you love me?”  

                     “Of course I do.  You’re right we will do what we have to do to be together.”  She smiled at his words and kissed him.  

                     _Please don’t let them see-CRAP_!!  When they were just a few feet from the couple, Kelly looked straight at them.  Connor and Buffy sprang forward to meet her furious attack, while Dawn hung back looking for her shot.  

                     Brad started shouting, “Connor what are you doing?  It’s Kelly, don’t hurt her!”  Brad tried to stand, but fell over; causing the vampire to redouble her attack.  Kelly was all flying knees and elbows in her assault, obviously never having fought before, barely starting to show hints of the fighting skills that come with the demon.  

                      “Get him out of here before he hurts himself!”  Willow screamed as Sarah rushed to aid them.  

                      Buffy broke off her attack, darted over to Brad, grabbed him and ran back out to the entrance; where Andrew would, by now, be waiting.  Dawn breathed a sigh of relief at their departure, knowing that with Brad gone they could now take care of Kelly.  _Ow, my head._  

                      No one noticed Dawn collapse boneless after being hit from behind.  Connor saw dozens of vampires tumble out of a hole in the wall.  _Damn, I had hoped that didn’t go anywhere._

                       “Dawn, cover fire.  Dawn?  Willow where’s Dawn?”  

                       “Aww, is your little slut in trouble?  I hope she’s not dead yet, I’m hungry.”  Kelly’s laugh was cut short when Connor punched her full in the face and she flew across the room.  

                       He saw Willow drive back the vamps closest to her with a cross, drag Dawn out of harms way, and shoot several vamps with Dawn’s crossbow.  Sarah was frantically engaging nearly ten vampires at once, barely saved when Buffy rejoined the fray. 

                       “Pull back, let’s get out of here!”  Buffy shouted to Connor as she picked up her unconscious sister, preparing to carry her out.  He tried to get across the room to Kelly, to finish her, ignoring Buffy’s call.  There were too many vampires in the way, he felt himself go down under their numbers.  _Damn.  I tried guys, I tried._


	6. Chapter 6

                                                                        When In Rome.    

Ch. 6  

_Italics are thought_.  

**Bold is Italian**.  

I own nothing bla, bla, bla.

 

 

              Dawn came to as Buffy was putting her in the car.  “What happened?”

              “Vampires happened.  Buckle-up we have to get you out of here.”  Buffy slammed the door and climbed in the back of the jeep.  “Sarah, call Vi and round up as many girls as we can get quickly, we’re going back to clean house.”

              They were back at the apartment before Dawn got a good look at Connor and realized he was unconscious.

              “Connor, Connor, do you hear me?”  _Please be alright._

              “Am I dead?”  Dawn all but tackled him with joy.

              “No, stupid you’re not dead.  But, if you ever make me magically immolate that many vampires ever again, I’ll make you wish you were!”  Willow told him.

              “What happened?  Did we get Kelly?”  He ask while he ran fingers over Dawn’s face and head, to assure himself that the blow hadn’t seriously hurt her.  When he looked in her eyes, he saw such sadness that he knew before Willow told him.

              “She got away, some of the vamps that showed up grabbed her and they ran.  I’m sorry Connor.”

              “Brad’s safe, Connor, Brad’s safe,” Dawn hurriedly told him, hoping the good news would lessen the bad.

              “Is he?!  She thought he had to be healthy to stay that way when turned, but by now the vampires that rescued her will have corrected her thinking.  If he still needs treatment how are we gonna keep her from just waltzing in and kidnapping him again?!”

              “Hey!  Who do you think you’re talking to?”  Dawn tapped his forehead with her knuckles.

              “Don’t worry, he is completely safe.  We are for the time being, housing him in a residence that is technically Giles’s home.  So Giles is the only one who could invite Kelly in and he is in England.”  Willow assured him while taking more headache medicine.

              “But, can he get treatment there?”

              “Doctors are there with him now.”  Dawn said as he cuddled her.  “He’s getting just as good a treatment as he would in any hospital.  We would have already had him there if we had known Kelly had been turned.  We were sloppy; we assumed she had just been drained.  And for that I am soo very sorry.  If we had just taken simple, normal, precautions we could’ve avoided a lot of this, sorry.”

              “It’s not your fault, Dawn.  Be careful or Willow might disappear your mouth.”  He smiled and stroked her face.  “Brad’s safe and we will get Kelly, I can’t leave her like that.  But, for the moment, I’m just going to just take a minute to recuperate, here with you.”  He looked around and realized that it was just the three of them in the apartment.  “Where is everyone?”

              “Off doing a better job of cleaning out that nest,” Willow grimaced.  “They are checking every side tunnel and crevice.  She usually doesn’t slay this much anymore, but Buffy took it kind of personal that they hurt Dawn.”  They all chuckled at that.  “Guys, I’m gonna lie down and rest my head.  Connor don’t make me do that again, it took a lot of concentration to flame just the vamps.”  With that the witch retired and left them alone in the living room. 

              “Do you think you need to rest too?”  Dawn suggested tentatively.  

              “Not really, but lets go in the room anyway.  I need to talk to you and I want some privacy to do it in.”  

              “Oh, okay.”  _What’s wrong?  Oh, god!  He didn’t mean it and now he needs to let me down easy.  Crap_.  Her throat closed as she silently followed him into Andrew’s bedroom.  

               _How am I going to explain, I hope I didn’t scare her back there.  Telling her I love her, I just knew that I did and couldn’t help but to tell her.  That kiss, way too much, she probably thinks it was a ‘we’re gonna die’ thing.  Grrrr.  It’s just that when I’m with her, especially when I touch her, all the bad shit just slips away._

               She sat on the edge of the bed while he shut the door, steeling himself before turning to her, “I just want to explain, I don’t-”  

               “It’s okay, I know.”  She interrupted him with a flat voice.  “It’s cool, just a freak out moment, no problem.”  

               “Was that all it was?  I, ah,” he floundered in the face of her indifference.  _She didn’t mean it, shit, shit, shit, it’s happening all over again!_ “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overstep my bounds, I just thought…”  

                “Thought what?”  _Can I hope?_

                “I won’t push you again, if you don’t want me like that, I understand.”  He fled back to the outer rooms, leaving Dawn staring in shock at his retreating back.  

                “Wait!  Come back!”  She cried when she found her voice.  When he didn’t return, she hurried out the door, looking around.  He wasn’t in the living room, so she looked in the kitchen.  He was there leaning over the sink, his knuckles white gripping the edge.  She went to him careful to make noise, as not to startle him, slid her arms around his waist, and, “Connor, I’m sorry.  I thought you were gonna say that you hadn’t meant what you said in the tunnel.  I didn’t want to push you.  So, let’s try again.  I meant what I said, did you?”  _Please, please._  

                He spun and held her at arms length, “Don’t play with me.”  His pain was etched on his face.  

                She tried to reach for him and when he blocked her attempts she sighed, “Never.”  

                He stared deeply in her eyes before snatching her up, spinning happily, and carrying her back to the bedroom.  He kicked the door shut behind them and tossed both of them onto the bed.  He hungrily kissed her and she returned his embrace with equal fervor.  Her hands clutched his head and back as if trying to make their bodies merge.  One hand snarled in her hair the other crept down to cup her butt, grinding down into her.  She threw her head back, purring, arching into his touch.  He smiled possessively and kissed down her neck, when he started to pull down her shirt she came back to herself.  

                “Wait, Connor wait.”  

                “Huh?  What’s wrong?”  His passion dark eyes searched hers.  

                “I, um, crap.  I’m a virgin.”  She looked down in embarrassment.  

                He eased back just enough to pull his hand out from under her.   “It’s okay; we won’t do anything you aren’t ready for.  I’ll keep out from under your cloths, well tonight anyway.”  He chuckled and waggled his eyebrows in such and exaggerated suggestive manner that it put her in mind of Spike for a moment.  

                She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.  “Good, thank you.  I didn’t mean to be all-”  

                “You aren’t, I love you, and I won’t hurt you.”  He kissed her nose and cradled her against him.  

                “Hey, I didn’t say to stop kissing me, just outside the cloths, okay.”  She grinned up at him.  

                He growled and reclaimed her mouth, pulling her up so she was straddling him.  She wrapped her legs around him rubbing against him as they explored each others mouths.  Breaking away for air he trailed kisses along her jaw.  She captured his earlobe, sucking it into her mouth, his gasp encouraged her to nibble and kiss his ears and neck.  Licking her way back to his mouth she saw with satisfaction that his eyes were closed in pleasure.  They continued kissing until Connor had to break away for fear of embarrassing himself.  

                 “We need to stop; I need a cold shower stat.  Sorry Dawn.”  He pressed his forehead to hers while admitting with chagrin just how close he was to losing it.  She wickedly ground herself against him even as she pulled away from his body.  

                 “Alright, I kinda need a shower too.”   

                 When he stood she sprawled across the bed in such an unconsciously sexy pose that his resolve almost gave.  He hurried from the room before he broke his word.  

                _Wow, oh wow!  That was so,,, wow.  I don’t know how I’ll handle actually having sex, that was so amazing, that I think I might die._ She thought as she stretched like a contented kitten.  

                 _What am I getting into?  She feels so good, tastes so good.  Whew, it’s going to be hard to go slow, I can already tell.  I have never almost came in my pants before.  Damn.  Remember don’t push her, remember, damn it!  God, I wanted to rip her cloths off.  No, bad, bad, slow, slow!!_ His thoughts circled until he found release in the shower.  Then he was able to think a little clearer, just a little.  

                 She was still lying with a satisfied smile when he returned.  

                 “I’m out, your turn.”  He quickly tickled her exposed sides, laughing as she squealed and slapped at his hands.  Gasping she rolled off the bed and smacked his butt as she danced out of the room.  _It’s a good thing my soul is permanent or it might be gone._ He chuckled as he flopped face up on the bed, hands behind his head.  He was still staring at the ceiling when she had finished her, much quicker than his, shower and came in toweling her hair.  

                 “Penny for your thoughts.”  

                 “Love you.  Come lay with me,” at her look, “I’ll behave if you do.  Deal?”  

                 “Mmhhm,” she agreed as she lay next to him.  They spooned until the next morning when Buffy’s outraged shouts woke them.  

                 “What The Hell Are You Doing!?!?  I leave you two alone for one night and what do I find when I come home?  Dawn in her bed?  NO!!  There had better be one hell of a good explanation!”  

                 “Uh, we didn’t have sex,” Dawn weakly tried to defend herself with the first thought she had.   

                 “Oh, well that just makes it all okay, doesn’t it?”  

                 “Back off. I love her.  I won’t do anything to hurt her, I swear to you.”  

                 “Yeah, I remember Angel saying something a lot like that to me and that went so well didn’t it?”  

                 “I’m not Angel and Dawn’s not you!” Connor shouted getting angry with Buffy’s verbal attack.  

                 “Buffy come here.”  Willow yelled from the kitchen.  With one last black glare Buffy stalked from the room.  They listened to Willow tell her that Dawn was a grown woman and needed to have a life of her own.  Buffy railed against this and they argued a long while until Buffy stormed out of the apartment.  When Willow came to their doorway she looked tired, “Sorry, she is just really worried.  You have to admit, it’s kind of weird to have her ex-boyfriend’s son here, much less have that same person in bed with her little sister.  Just give her some time to think everything over.  Oh, and just so you know, if you hurt Dawn be prepared to die a very painful death.”  With that last Willow went back to Buffy’s room.  

                 They looked at each other their expressions mirroring their ‘oh crap’ thoughts.  

                 “As much as I hate to say it, I think we had better not fall asleep together again.”  He sheepishly said.  

                 “Yeah, I’m afraid you’re right.  We run the risk of giving her an aneurysm if we don’t.”  She weakly smiled at him.  “Imagine how much worse that would’ve been if we had, you know.”  

                 He dramatically shivered, “I’d rather not imagine been torn limb from limb, thank you.”  They dissolved into nervous laughter.  

                 “Oh hell, she’s really pissed at me now.  What am I gonna do?  I’m seventeen, for pity’s sake, I’m not a little kid anymore.”  She grimaced as she got up, “I’ve got to talk to Willow for a minute.  You be alright?”  

                 “I’ll just wait here, good luck,” he sat up and lightly kissed her, just a quick brush of lips, before she left the room.  

                 _Well that sucked.  Way to start a relationship; let her sister find us in bed before we even are officially dating, really good job man.  Thank god Dawn had the presence of mind to stop me last night._ He smiled at his thoughts.  _Not that I wanted to be stopped_ , he admitted to himself.  _But it’s better if I don’t rush her, I won’t hurt her again.  Never again._   He fervently swore.  

                 “Willow, can I come in?”  She ask through the door.  “Willow.”  

                 “Come in Dawnie, I’m not mad at you.”  

                 Slipping into the room she said, “Willow, we really didn’t do-”  

                 “Dawnie that’s not the point.  Buffy came home after hours of slaying, she went to look in on you, you weren’t there, she got scared, woke me, went to Connor’s room to wake him, and she found you there.  All snuggly in bed with him!  She was so worried for you and then she was shocked seeing you two like that. So she got mad.  What did you think she would do, finding you like that?”  Willow reached out and hugged Dawn to try to soften her harsh words.  

                 “I kind of wasn’t thinking.  I was just so happy, he loves me.  I didn’t mean to fall asleep in there.  Hey, at least we didn’t have sex.  Doesn’t that get me any points?”  

                 “We just don’t want to see you get hurt.  We love you to.”  

                 “And I’m completely on board with that.  I don’t want to get hurt either.  And cause of that, we aren’t going to rush anything, promise.”  

                 Willow studied her sizing up the resolved expression Dawn was giving her and nodded.  “Okay Dawnie, I believe you.  Buffy however, might take a little longer to come around.  This is going to really tough for her, past history and all.”  

                 “Believe me I understand the issues involved here.  But, I love him and we are gonna make it work.”  She determinedly declared.  

                 “I understand honey, I really do.  You two need to eat something and then go see his friend, maybe she’ll cooled down when you get back.  I got some groceries, so no restaurant this morning, eat real food.”  She gave Dawn a quick hug, “I’m going to check out the Council offices and see the sites, bye-bye Dawnie.”  

                 “See ya, Willow.  Thank you for everything.”  As Willow left, Dawn went back to Connor’s room and lay down with him again.  “Hey, you want some cereal?  Willow went shopping.”  

                 “Yeah, I guess.  Is everything alright out there?”  He asks into her hair.   “Uh-ah, she understands.  It’s just, you’re Angel’s son and he and Buffy used to have this big forever love and it didn’t work out and it’s gonna be hard for her to deal with us.  You gotta admit, it’s kinda bizarre us meeting and liking each other.”  

                 He smiled, “I know, I usually only go for older girls.”  

                 She swatted at him, “Technically, I am older than you.  You were born three years ago and I was created a year before that.  Also, I existed as a glowy energy ball for, like forever before that!  So, pfffth on you.”    She stood, pulling him with her.  “Come on, after we eat we’ll go see Brad and try to talk some sense into him.”  

 

                 After breakfast.     

 

                 “This is a house?”  Connor stared incredulously at the huge structure in front of him.  

                 “I guess it’s actually a mansion.  But, Giles is the sole owner and he tricked it out with all kinds of security features so we use it as a hospital slash school.  When he restarted the Watchers Council he decided to make several base of operations, thereby granting a more free flow of information.  He said one of the worst things about the old system was that they were a group that just sent orders from afar; now everyone has to have experience in the field, so they know what it’s like for the slayers.  The old Council didn’t care about us, I mean them, and the slayers were just tools to them.  Giles found former members who were kicked out for developing attachments to their charges, potentials who weren’t called, and got them to join them.  He believes, and so do I, that his attachment to Buffy and her having the rest of us around have actually helped keep her alive so long.  Come on let’s go in.”  

                 After entering the building they had to pass through several entry ‘tests’.  They ranged from the very mundane, a metal detector, to the very bizarre, a woman with no eyes who actually put her fingers inside their heads.   

                 “She can tell your intent.”  Dawn whispered.  

                 Once they were through they ran into a kind eyed man who introduced himself as the Head Doctor, Dr. Evans.  

                 “Great, you are such the person we want to see.  How is Brad Taylor?”  Dawn ask.  

                 “Oh dear Dawn, I wish I had better news, but we have had to sedate him.  Is this Connor?” she nodded, “I don’t know if you knew, but he has a very sever concussion and all that moving around yesterday only made it worse.  Is it true that his girlfriend was turned into a vampire and she kidnapped him intending to nurse him to health before turning him?”  When they confirmed this he whistled in amazement.  “That’s amazing, sad and awful, but amazing.  Anyway, his stomach wasn’t ready for the solid food she fed him, so he vomited it up and exacerbated his concussion.  He kept trying to get out of here, even after we put him in restraints he continued struggling so much we feared he would do himself injury, so ultimately we have had to sedate him.  I’m keeping him under for at least 48 hours and I want Connor here when we wake him up, hopefully you can help keep him calm so he won’t injure himself further.”  He was obviously distressed that his news wasn’t better.  

                 “Oh Connor, I’m sorry.”  She had put her arms around him at the doctors first words, now she drew back to look him in the eye.  “What do you want me to do?”    

                 “Do?”  He looked at her blankly.  

                 “Do for you, for him, anything you need.”  

                 “I’ll leave you two-”  

                 “No doc, I need to see him now.  Where is he?”  

                 “Right this way.”  He led them up a few floors to Brad’s room.  “He is, as you know, sedated and won’t talk back. However, that shouldn’t stop you from talking to him after all, he may hear you.  Now I have to take my leave, but if you need anything just use the intercom.”  He shook their hands before leaving.  

                 “Room 314, let’s hope it’s not an omen,” Dawn made a weak attempt at humor as they entered Brad’s room.  

                 Looking down at his friend Connor had an unhappy epiphany.  _I did this_.  “Dawn, could you give me a couple of minutes alone with him?”  He couldn’t make himself meet her eyes.  

                 “Yeah, I’ll just go see how the new trainees are coming along.  I’ll be the next floor down.  Well, I’ll uh, be back.”  She hurried away so he wouldn’t see that he had hurt her.  _O, course Dawn, he needs time alone.  You have only been all over him since you met him; give him some damn space girl.  I think I could use some sparing, let’s see who’s in there._  

                 “Brad, I know you can’t hear me, but I’m sorry I got you in to this.  I never wanted you guys to know about all the bad out there, I wanted to keep you safe.  Guess I screwed up that, didn’t I?  I know you don’t fully understand what has happened to Kelly, but she isn’t Kelly anymore.  I swear that what took you out of the hospital wasn’t Kelly.  She may walk, talk, and look like her, but it isn’t her.  A monster has set up shop inside her and I will kill it, and give Kelly peace.  I love you guys and I’m so sorry, I ruined everything.  I love Dawn, but I’ll probably ruin her too.  Everything I touch seems to end up dust; Holtz, Cordy, Jasmine, Angel, and now Kelly.  I hoped to change, not be the kiss of death to those that I love, but I still bring death and destruction.  Willow says I’m not evil, but just cause I’m not evil doesn’t mean I’m good.  I’m The Destroyer.  So, I’m going to destroy the thing that got Kelly and then I’m gonna destroy myself, so I can’t hurt anyone anymore.  Then you and Dawn will be safe, from me.  I wrote this all down for you; I just needed to say it out loud.  That’s in there too.  Please, listen to Dawn, she’s a really good person, she doesn’t deserve the crap I’d end up bringing to her.  She will help you and keep you safe, she promised.  Tell her I meant it when I said I loved her, I just don’t want to ruin her.”  He tore the hastily written note from the bedside notepad, folded the paper and laid it on Brad’s chest.  “I love you man.  Good-bye.”  He kissed his friend on his forehead and walked out.  

                 When he reached the eyeless psychic she held her fingers in him much longer than before, “What you plan to do is noble, but wrong.  You are not the cause of ruin, but if you continue on this path you will leave a legacy of pain.  Do you want those you leave behind to suffer?”  

                 “I don’t have a choice, this will hurt them less.”  He whispered.  

                 “No, you have made a decision based on sadness and pain.”  She sadly pulled away from him, waving him past.


	7. Chapter 7

                                                When In Rome.    

Ch. 7 

_Italics are thought._

**Bold is Italian.**

I own nothing bla, bla, bla.

             _Whew, I’m tired.  How long have I been at it?_ Dawn checked the clock, _damn, two hours, I wonder how Connor is._ She had a quick shower to kill her, _phew,_ smell and made her way back to Brad’s room.

              “Connor, can I come in?”  She called through the door.

              “There’s no one named Connor in here, but you can come in if you want.”  A woman’s voice answered her.  When Dawn pushed open the door she saw a small vaguely Asian looking woman with long black hair and large green eyes.  “Are you sure you have the right room?”

              “Yeah, Connor is a friend of Brad there.”

              “Well, alright.  Hello, I’m nurse Stevens I’m in charge of young Brad.”

              “Hi, I’m Dawn.  Do you know where Connor went?”  She looked around, almost expecting him to pop out of the shadows.

              “No one was here when I came to check on Brad, but there was a note laying on him.”

              “A note?”  A shiver shook her body as Nurse Stevens handed it to her to read.  “Oh God!”   

              She turned and ran for the exit, trying to rush through the tests, growing more frustrated and agitated until the sightless psychic grabbed her wrist, “He has let guilt overtake him; he is given over to despair.  He, in the face of all he has lost, he cannot see what he can still gain.  He sees no reason to hold onto himself, because no one held on to him in the past.  Do you have a strong grip child?”  She released Dawn and held her hands to her own temples, “Hurry girl, if you want to save him, you have to hold on, go now.  Be quick.”  

              “What do I do?  Where is he?”  

              “I have told you what to do.  As for where he is, I don’t know that.  You must find him.”  

              Shaken, Dawn hurried out and called Buffy and Willow, telling them what had happened, and then set out to find him.  _Where would he go?  Hmmm.  Think, Dawn think.  Oh, I got it!  Back to that cavern, I bet he’d be able to track Kelly from there_.  She quickly called her sister back and headed for the church, Buffy and Willow picked her up on the way.  

               “Why are we, yet again, going back to that cavern?”  Buffy ask when Dawn climbed in the car.  

               “I think Connor will be able to track Kelly from there.”  

               “Okay, so what made him go all suicidal this time?”  

               “I don’t know.  In his note he said that he ruined everything he touched, but I don’t understand, I mean, he was fine this mornings.  I don’t understand.”  

               “Stuff probably just came to a head when he saw Brad.”  Buffy hugged her sister, “We’ll find him, I promise.”  

               “Yeah, don’t worry Dawn.  We’ll have him all sunshine and happiness in no time.”  Willow tried to lighten the tense mood and sound unworried.  

               Dawn barely heard their words; her thoughts were centered on how she would try to help Connor when they found him.  _She said I have to hold on, how I prove to him that I will hold on.  What is he going to do to himself; he said he would destroy himself.  How can I stop him?  How can I stop him from doing anything he sets his mind too.  Why would he want to leave me?  Crap, way to be self-centered Dawn, everything isn’t about you.  He wants to die and you worry about yourself.  Wait!  I can use that, him leaving me.  But, is a guilt trip gonna help or make it worse.  Hell, I’ll try anything to keep him._ As they came to a stop she realized Buffy was waving her hands in front of her face.  

               "Huh?”  Her attention snapped back to the here and now. 

               “I said, Willow is going to do a quick locator spell to see if he’s here, and if he isn’t, well I don’t-”  

               “If he isn’t we find him!  I am not loosing him!  Not when I just found him!”  Dawn shouted into her sister’s face.  

               “Calm down Dawnie, I’ll find him for you, promise.”  Willow settled down and cast her spell.  

               “Where’s the map?  How’re you gonna locate him without a map?”  Dawn queried.  

               “I’m casting it on me, so I will know which way to go to find him.  As opposed to seeing it on a map, I see it in my head.  This a portable locator spell I came up with, cool huh?”  The witch grinned and went back to concentrating.  “Ah-ha!  He was here, but he’s gone.  He is underground, come on follow me, I’ll take you.”   

               They followed Willow into the underbelly of Rome.  As they navigated the twists and turns Buffy tried to talk to Dawn, telling her not to worry and that he’d be fine.  Dawn only nodded vaguely and looked ahead as they trailed Willow.  

               A solid wall abruptly stopped them.  

               “Will, did we take a wrong turn?”  

               “Buffy, this isn’t a wall.”  Willow’s voice showed her surprise.  

               Even more surprised, “Not a wall?  Then what is it?”  

               “A trap door, only a wall.  Duh.  Move it Buffy.”  Dawn snapped.  

               “Move what?”  

               “The wall, obviously it is a fake wall the vamps put in and Connor is on the other side.  Please move the wall.”  Dawn pleaded.  

               “Alright, Will how’s it open?”  

               “Push it at an angle, it should slide.  Come on, hurry Buffy.”  Willow made shooing motions as she explained.  

               Sighing Buffy threw her shoulder into the rock wall, moving it took slayer strength, but finally an opening appeared.      

 

 

                “No, you have made a decision based on sadness and pain.”  He glared at the psychic as she sadly waved him on.  _I know what I have to do now._  

                He hurriedly flagged down a cab and went back to the cavern, knowing he could track Kelly from there.  _Wow, Buffy really cleaned house last night_ he thought as he saw all the piles of vamp dust.  He concentrated for a few moments picking Kelly’s scent out from the chaos, even changed by her demon though it was, he easily found it.  Grimly he followed it deeper into the black, letting the darkness into his mind and eyes, blindly searching for what was left of his friend.  When he smacked into a dead end a growl escaped him.  Inhaling deeply he searched for the scent and smelled it behind the wall.  Finally, after hurling himself at the rock in frustration it moved, with a snarl he shoved it open and continued his hunt.  

               _I’m close; her scent is fresh, strong._ _Wait, what?!?_   He paused to scent.  _Whore!  She’s screwing one of those vampires!_ Howling like a feral beast he charged into the nest, ignoring the vampires there in single minded fury.  He was brought up short by the vamps he had rushed past; they attacked and overwhelmed him from behind.  

                While they fought Kelly rose from her bed taunting, “Connor, how nice of you to come visiting.  As you see, I’ve made some new friends; they don’t seem to like you much, though.”  She smiled evilly as he growled at her.  

                Lunging past his adversaries, his hands snapped around her throat, trying to rip her head off.  “Bitch, whore!  You evil slut!”  Her momentarily panicked expression quickly became triumphant as several vampires tackled Connor, dragging him off her. 

                “Hmm, that’s better,” she rubbed her throat, studying him as they held him pinned against a wall.  “You should be nicer to me, what would Brad say?”  She kicked him in his face.  

                “Brad!  How dare you talk about him after screwing these monsters?!”  He spat out along with a mouthful of blood.  

                “Oh, he’ll forgive me; I did it for him after all.  I’ve learned some very interesting things that I’m sure he’ll enjoy.  You wanna see some of the stuff I’ve learned?  I bet you would, we were always soo close.  You want to get even closer Conni-pooh?”  She purred, leaning into his heaving chest, making him struggle furiously.  He managed to throw off two of his captors before one hit him over the head with a shovel.  

                Consciousness returned to find him bound, arms above his head, hanging from the ceiling in chains.   

                “Mmmm, what did I tell you, you love it, don’t you?”  Kelly smirked as he unsuccessfully struggled to free himself.   

                “So, why can’t we just drain him?” Growled out one of the vamps that Kelly had screwed.  

                “Come on, can’t you tell?” She licked a trickle of blood off Connor’s face.  “I’m new and I can tell.  He isn’t really human, he’s extra tasty.”  

                “So, we drain him.”  

                “Not right away, we keep him alive and savor him, like a fine wine.  Also, he’s keeping my Brad from me and he’s gonna hurt for that!”  She stalked around him, fingering a knife.  “Shallow cuts, bleed freely.”  She licked the blood from the blade.  “This is fantastic!  You’ve got to try him.”  She fed Connor’s blood to one of her lovers off her fingers and he swooned theatrically.  

                “She’s right, we’ve gotta keep him around a while.”  They vamp-faced and advanced on the bound boy.  

                “Only I decide when he dies!”  She demanded.  “He’ll last longer if we just lick the blood off and not bite him, yet.”  They grumbled, but agreed with her.  She turned back to Connor and when he kicked her they chained his feet down.  “Where’s Brad?  You know don’t you?”  

                “Like I’m going to tell you,” he growled at her. 

                “No, I didn’t think you would.  At least not right away.  More fun for us if you don’t.  Don’t worry, I’ll find him whether you tell or not.”  She smiled as she slowly sliced his chest and stomach, licking as she cut.  When she backed off the others drank the blood streaming down his body.  “You know what?  I think we need more skin to cut up.  Let me take care of that.” She cut his clothing off, smirking when he tried to writhe away from her.  “Look at that, all that clean skin, it needs decorating.  Shall I?”  

                “Do your worst, I won’t scar.”  He growled defiantly.  

                “No, you really won’t,” laughing she left gouges across his legs.  Skirting closely to his groin, she watched as he shivered, “Oh, do we like that?  Was that a good shiver I saw, or were you just afraid for your manhood?” 

                He snarled as she sliced closer, closer, her lips following the knife blade, grazing the sack, nicking the shaft.  The more he struggled the tighter his chains were pulled.  Time quickly lost meaning and was measured only in cuts; he lost himself as the pain in his body finally matched the pain in his soul.  _I won’t lose consciousness or cry out, won’t give them the satisfaction._    

 

 

                This was the scene that greeted their eyes when Dawn, Buffy and Willow came upon them.  

                _OH MY GOD, CONNOR!!!!!_   “CONNOR!!”  Tears sprang into Dawn’s eyes at the sight of him bleeding surrounded by bloody-mouthed vampires.  

                “Dawn?”  _It can’t be!_ “Dawn, no!  Dawn get out of here!!!”  

                “No, stay Dawn darling; my new friends would love to make your acquaintance.”  Kelly draped herself over Connor, relishing the pain in Dawn’s eyes.  

                “Back off bitch.  No one is meeting my sister!”  Buffy cried, furious that this creature was causing her baby sister pain.  “But, you all can meet me; I’m Buffy, maybe you’ve heard of me Vampire Slayer and all that!”  

                “A Slayer, you brought a slayer here!”  Kelly’s lover cuffed her as all but her backed away.  “Newsflash Kelly, Slayers don’t travel alone anymore and they kill us, let’s go, NOW!”  He grabbed her and forced her to run with them, though she shouted threats all the way out.  

                “Geeze, that girl’s as bad as Harmony, always mouthing off as she gets away.”  Willow muttered while she and Buffy unchained Connor.  Dawn wept as she tried to cover him with his shredded cloths.  When he was released he collapsed to the ground and Dawn gathered him to her, holding him tightly.  

                “Connor.  Oh, Connor, baby no.  Please be okay, please don’t go, stay with me baby!”  She managed to tie part of his shirt around his waist.   

                He reached up, touching her face as he lost consciousness.  _How did she find me, why is she here?_  

                “Dawn, we have to go,” Buffy took Dawn’s arm and tried to pull her up.  

                She shook her sister off, “I won’t let him go!”  

                “What?  What are you talking about?  We aren’t leaving him, but we have to go!”  Buffy screamed the sight of her sister covered in blood, even someone else’s, made her frantic.  “Come on, Dawnie, please, please.”  

                Willow knelt next to them and shook Dawn’s shoulders.  “Sweetie, we have to get him out of here.  Let Buffy pick him up, you can keep hold of his hand if you have to.  But we’ve got to leave before the vamps come back.”  

                What they were saying finally sank in and let Buffy take Connor, never letting go of his hand.  Even though he was unconscious she told him that they were taking him to their doctors and that everything would be fine.  As they rushed to the car she worried. _He’s lost so much blood; will we get there in time?  Oh God, Connor.  What are we gonna do?  How can we make it right?_ She dimly heard Willow calling ahead to have a doctor waiting for them, while she broke a dozen traffic laws getting them there.    

                “Well, this definitely isn’t how I wanted to see the two of you next,” Dr, Evens ruefully greeted them.  “Dawn, I need you to give him to us.  We need to examine him to determine how to help him.  You have to leave for now, I’ll send for you when we’re done.”  He gently tried unsuccessfully to disengage her hands.  

                “Come on Dawnie; let the doctors do their job.”  Buffy tried to help the doctor make her sister release Connor.  

                “NO!!  You don’t understand the psychic lady without eyes told me not to let him go!  I don’t care what, I just can’t let him go, she said so!!”  Dawn frantically tried to make them understand.  

                “Giselle said not to let him go?”  At their confused looks, “The lady who puts her hands inside your head?”  

                “Yes her, I can’t-”  

                “Listen,” he interrupted, “if Giselle said not to let him go, you can stay here.  But you do have to release him so we can work.  Promise you won’t interfere and you can stay in the room.”  He smiled when she reluctantly let go of Connor’s hand.  “I’m sorry but you two have to leave.  Unless of course Giselle spoke to either of you?  No, well then off with you.”   

                Buffy looked rebellious, but Willow pulled her away, whispering calming words to her.  As they left Willow looked back at Dawn, weakly smiling, and giving her thumbs up.  Dawn mouthed ‘Thank you’, and turned her undivided attention to Connor.  She sat quietly in a corner while they examined his wounds and then stitched and IV’ed him.  When they were finished she ask if she could lie in bed with him, cringing inside at the thought of Buffy’s reaction, but steeling herself against it knowing it must be done.  Dr. Evans nodded in understanding and ordered Connor to be put a room with a double bed.  Conscious of the fact that he would have a bedmate they positioned all his wires on the same side, giving her a place to safely lie.  As soon as he was settled she carefully climbed in and held him tightly, making sure not to disturb any wires.  When Buffy and Willow came in Dawn saw her sister swell and prepare to yell, luckily Willow got her hands over her mouth in time.  

                “Buffy, listen to me, I know Giselle.  Let me ask Dawn something before you freak out.  Dawn what, exactly, did she tell you?”  She asks, with her hands still covering her friend’s mouth.  

                “She told me he had given up, cause no one had ever held on to him and that I had to hold him tight.  So I am I won’t give him up.”  She looked at her sister defiantly.  

                Buffy’s eyes narrowed and she started mumbling behind Willow’s hands.  

                Sighing, “Buffy, if I take my hands down, will you promise not to yell?”  Buffy nodded.  “Promise?”  She nodded again and Willow released her.  

                “I’m not yelling, but you say you know this psychic, tell me about her.”  She really wasn’t happy about her little sister being in bed with a boy and it showed.  

                “She sees inside a person, she sees the truth, their intentions, everything.  She’s the best defense this place has, you can’t lie to her.  If she said Dawn has to stay with him, then she has to.  Buffy, I know you don’t like it, but it’s just how it is.  Dawn is growing up; we have to deal with her not being our little girl.”  She grinned at her friend and pretended to wipe away tears.  

                Unfortunately Big Sis wasn’t so easily deterred, “I think you’re rushing things, Dawnie.  I mean, what do you really know about him?”  

                “Hello!  Where were you two days ago for the four hours when he told us his life story!  I know more about him than you knew after a year with any of your ex’s, for Pete’s sake.  I know he’s a good man; he just needs help to see it.  It’s like Spike, only Connor already has a soul.  You didn’t give up on Spike and I’m not giving up on Connor!”  

                “Dawn, I knew Spike for years, it’s different.  You just met him; being told about a person is different than knowing them!”  

                “Oh, it’s always different when it’s you, right?  You always do this!”  She cried as she carefully climbed out of bed, angry with her sister’s predictable reaction.  “I am VERY TIRED of you doing this!  I AM SEVENTEEN!!!!!  You had already been slaying for TWO YEARS, hell you already died once!  Okay, bad example. I don’t want to die, but I’m not a little kid anymore.  Stop treating me like one!”  

                Her shouts attracted the attention of a nurse, “What is going on here?  This is a patient’s room, a quiet place!  If you can not respect that then you will have to leave.”  Nurse Stephens glowered at the girls.  “What is going on here?”  

                “Oh, you know how it is, sisters.  They fight to remind themselves that they’re related.”  Willow tried to joke.  

                The nurse was unimpressed, “Sisters or not, my patients are not going to have to listen to them yelling.  I think you should go and finish you argument elsewhere.”  She nodded towards the door.  

                “Bu, I-”  

                “Out.  I will not have anything impair my charges recovery.  Understand?”  

                Buffy took Dawn’s arm, “You heard her, let’s go.”  

                “Oh no, I’m not going anywhere!  Giselle said I have to hold on to him, you go!” She shook off Buffy, “I have to stay with him, please don’t make me leave him.”  She pleaded.  

                Nurse Stephens consulted Connor’s chart for a minute, “Damn, they actually wrote that on his chart.  Fine she can stay.”  Seeing Buffy’s furious face, “You go calm down; it’ll do your blood pressure good.”  She adopted ‘doctor face’ until Willow pulled Buffy from the room.  “Young lady, don’t make me regret letting you stay.  I’ll be back in an hour to check on him, can I get you anything?”  

                “No thank you, I’m just gonna call a friend to bring me some books.  Is that okay?”  _How embarrassing, fighting like toddlers in a hospital_.  

                “Books are perfectly alright.  Don’t worry; your young man will be fine.  Well, I’m off.”  She pat Dawn’s arm as she left.  

                She sighed and went to the phone, “Andrew, can you- yes, I’m fine, everyone is fine.  Yes, Andrew, no, Andr-.  Andrew focus!  I’m not going to be home for a while, Connor got hurt and I’m staying with him at Giles’s hospital/school/house thingy.  I need you to bring me some books; they’re in my room on the desk.  Yeah, I’m fine.  No you can’t use my room, you get yours back while Connor’s in here, ding-bat.  Oh, and Buffy kind of isn’t happy about me staying here, so don’t bring it up.  Thanks Andrew.  Bye-bye.”  With another sigh she hung the phone up, sat in a chair by the bed, and put her head in her hands.  _Damn, Buffy is really pissed at me now.  But I know I’m right about him.  Even I know it’s messed up to get this attached this fast, but I can’t help myself.  There is no such thing as love at first sight, I don’t know him know him yet, but I know about him and that’s a start.  I know that when he’s not suicidal he’s smart, funny, kind, and nice to look at._   She chuckled at her last description.  _But he has such pain in him.  What are we gonna do?  What am I gonna do?  I wish Xander was here, he knew what to say to stop Willow’s suicide.  I don’t even know how to begin to help him.  I can’t tell him a ‘yellow crayon’ story that will make everything fine.  I wasn’t there to see anything like that.  Crap._   She was still sitting, deep in thought, when Andrew arrived.  

                 “Dawn, knock-knock.”  

                 She raised her head and smiled, “Hey, Andrew.  Who’s there?”  

                 “Just me.  Was I supposed to bring someone with me?  Cause you didn’t tell me to.”  He looked worried.  

                 “No, I thought you were going to tell me a ‘knock-knock’ joke.  Sorry Andy, I didn’t mean to worry you.  Did you get all my books?”  

                 “Yeah.”  He took off a stuffed backpack and set it in front of her.  “Are you researching something?  Cause I could totally help.”  

                 “Na, sorry.  I’m just boning up on demons native to Italy.  Don’t you think it’s weird that Italy seemed to have no mythology of their own?  They just seemed to import the Greeks, bizarre huh?” 

                 “Maybe they got killed off by the ones that followed the conquering army’s back.”  

                 “I thought that might be, so I’m researching.  I started when I was reeealy bored.”  She admitted sheepishly. 

                 “Yeah, things had been really quiet for a while there.  Good thing he showed up, huh?”  He grinned at her before growing serious.  “How did Connor get hurt this time?  His arms look like he lost a fight with an entire ginsu set.”  

                 She momentarily choked, “Harrumph, it’s not just his arms.  Kelly and her new friends captured him, chained him, and cut him up.  Everywhere, everywhere, except for some reason, his face.”  She buried her face in her arms, shoulders shaking.  

                 Andrew rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.  “It’ll be okay, dawn.  He heals real fast remember.  He’ll be up and ready to kick that evil things butt in no time!”  

                 “Andrew, he was gonna kill himself!  How do I heal his mind?!?”  Her head shot up, tears streaming down her face.   

                 He was stunned.  “Uhm, oh, wow.  I didn’t know.  I’m soo sorry.”  He looked at Connor, “What are you going to do?”  

                 “I don’t know, Andy.  What should I do?”  She desperately asks him.  

                 “Uhhhh, well….  Oh I know!”  He pushed the call button, smiling.  

                 “What are you-”  

                 “Hi, what can I do for you guys?”  

                 “Liz, we are gonna need a really good councilor when he wakes up.  I’m afraid he’s gone all Terminator on himself.”  

                 Nurse Stephens, _sorry LIZ,_ smiled at him, “Then there is no problem, Andy.  The Terminator can’t self terminate, remember?”  

                 “He’s malfunctioning Liz.”  He shyly smiled back at her.  

                 _Oh my god, is Andrew flirting with her?  Is she flirting back?  Wow!_ She was so stunned that she let them talk in movie metaphors for several minutes.  

                 “Guys, Connor needs help.”  She interrupted.  

                 “Sorry, I’ll just call psychiatric,” She left blushing.  

                 Dawn stared at Andrew until he squirmed, “Sorry, Dawn I didn’t mean-”  

                 “Were you flirting with Nurse Stephens?  Oh, sorry, Liz.”  She laughed when he blushed and stammered.  “Wow!  Andy who knew.  She’s pretty, way to go!  I’m proud.”  

                 “Well, I just.  Heck, she’s really pretty, isn’t she?  I think she might like me too.  Crazy huh?  She likes lots of movies and books, even comic books!”  

                 “Ahh, Andrew are you in love?”  

                 “Maybe,” his blush turned purple.  

                 “So are you gonna ask her out?”  _I feel like a proud mama, this is weird.  Actually, come to think of it, they would make a cute couple_.  

                 “I don’t really know how to ask a girl out.  The Immortal arranged the only date I’ve ever been on.  Tell me how to ask her out.”  

                 “Yeah, like I’ve got lots of experience in that department.  Hmmm.  Oh, I’ve got it!  Does she like Scooby-Doo?”  He nodded.  “Ask her if she’s seen the sequel and if she hasn’t, ask her to see it with you.  See, easy.”  She clutched at the distraction that Andrew’s ‘love’ life provided.  

                 “What if she’s already seen it?”  He asks frantically.  

                 “What if who has seen what?”  Liz asks as she re-entered the room.  

                 “Uhm, have you seen the new Scooby-Doo yet?”  He asks quickly, looking at the floor.  

                 She smiled gently, “No, would you like to see it with me?  I get off in half and hour.”  Dawn squealed inside at the look on Andrew’s face.  He looked like he had been hit upside the head with a two-four while imitating a fish on land.  

                 “Really?!?”  

                 “Yeah, I’d love to.  I gotta go finish my rounds.  The councilor will come and see him when he wakes.  Andy, can I have a few minutes to change cloths?”  At his elated nodding, “Okay, then I’ll see you in forty-five minutes at the entrance.”  They beamed at each other as she left.  

                 “Excuse me; I think I need to go run screaming around the building a few times.”  He bowed with exaggerated dignity and bolted.  

                 “Be sure to shower when you’re done, you don’t want to stink!”  She called after his retreating form.  She chortled as she settled into the bed with one of her books.  _Hmmm, well that decides it.  If Andrew can get a date without much help then anything is possible.  I don’t know how, but Connor is gonna be fine.  He has to be fine._


	8. Chapter 8

Well, here's where my muse packed up and left me. As it left it was yelling about painting myself into a corner. Please help me gentle readers.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a while back but I lost the thought and don't know how it should end. I'm gonna post what I have over the course of the month. This site seems populated by folk who seem a bit more smart and good natured than not. Sooo I'm gonna need your help. When I'm done I'd love if you guys could toss out your input and hopefully something will stick and I can finally finish this.


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